Growing Up Gibbs
by ReluctantSlashFan
Summary: What if Gibbs had decided to keep his team as children? -An AU to my story Papa Gibbs.
1. Prologue

**Okay, this is dedicated to everyone who read Papa Gibbs and wanted the team to stay young forever (or, at least, forever in FanFiction world). Besides, I kind of missed writing for the de-aged team. What can I say, I'm a big sap :)**

**Anyway, I'm not quite sure yet if the chapters will go in any particular order, but I do know that I will try to cover every age I can (perhaps into adulthood, but I haven't decided yet). Or, I will write until you guys get bored (or me, whichever comes first) and tell me to stop.**

**So, thanks for reading and if you read Papa Gibbs thanks doubly for all the reviews.**

**No matter how hard I wish these characters will never be mine. Alas, I am sad :(**

**See ya in the next chapter (you know, if you guys want one).**

**P.S. The dream sequence didn't happen... just FYI**

**Bye**

**NCIS**

It was a week after Gibbs had told the others he was keeping his team as children; a week after he had requested a desk job at NCIS much to Vance's surprise. There was now a new MCRT, headed by Cassie Yates. He had asked for Stan Burley, but he was overseas and wouldn't be back on land for another six months. Gibbs didn't mind; if he couldn't have Stan, Cassie was the perfect second choice.

He took another week off, spending the majority of it cleaning out the spare bedroom and Kelly's old room. He intended to move the boys into the former and Ziva into the latter. Abby jumped at the chance to do more shopping, and by the time his second week was up, both rooms were full of furniture and enough clothes to last the kids until they started kindergarten... or began growing out of them.

Gibbs was now standing in the doorway of the boys' room, studying the bunk beds crammed against furthest wall from the door. Tony was passed out on the top, his arm dangling off the bed from underneath the child safety bar while McGee was curled into a ball on the bottom, burrowed under blankets. It hadn't been much of a fight over who would sleep where since McGee volunteered to sleep on the bottom the moment Gibbs and Fornell brought the box into the house.

Gibbs ducked out of the boys' room and headed towards Ziva's, stopping in the threshold. She was asleep on her back, sprawled across her small, single bed, her blanket in a heap on the floor, almost as if she had kicked it off. Jethro stepped forward, scooping the blanket off the floor and spreading it over her again.

He stepped out of her room, stopping in the middle of both rooms. He smiled slightly, running a hand through his hair. A gut feeling told him this could work out. It was going to work out.


	2. One Lie Too Many

**Okay, I am really nervous about this chapter. I didn't want to write it, but unfortunately it had to be written. If Gibbs comes off sounding OOC or uncaring in this chapter, I apologize immensely. It was not my intention nor do I think Gibbs is that way. Just a fair warning to you guys before you read.**

**Anyway, thank you so, so, so much for the reviews, alerts, and favs. I was so glad to see some of my regular readers return and to see some new ones, too. I am really glad you guys are as excited about this story as I am.**

**So, thanks for reading, I really hope you enjoy this, and leave a comment if you can.**

**I do not own these characters.**

**Bye**

**NCIS**

It was surreal to get condolences for losing his team when Gibbs knew they weren't really dead. It seemed that Fornell was wrong; a great deal of his co-workers hadn't known his team had survived the explosion, and it seemed even the ones who did convinced themselves that it had all been wishful thinking on their parts.

But Gibbs could handle those people. He could glare at them, scare them away, and make damn sure they stayed away. It was when his team's families showed up when the lie almost faltered.

McGee's family was the first to stop by the naval yard. His mother sifted through a box of stuff from his desk, unshed tears barely clinging to her lashes, fighting sobs while The Admiral was up in Vance's office talking to him. For a second, Gibbs almost told Cecelia McGee the truth, that her son was in fact still alive (and down in daycare with the other children), but he knew she wouldn't believe him, and even if she did he wasn't sure he could part with the little boy.

So, he just offered her a shoulder when she started sobbing, murmuring words of comfort. Through her hiccups, she told him that Tim loved working for him, that he felt he was making a difference with every life they saved. Gibbs merely nodded, wincing slightly when her fingers dug into his back, grazing his slowly healing bruises.

Finally, Cecelia broke the hug and stepped away from Gibbs. "W-we need to go meet Sarah. S-she's…" she sniffed, scrubbing at her red eyes. She took a shuddering breath and tried again. "She's with Penny at T-Tim's…" She burst into tears again, just as her husband came into the conference room with Vance.

"Ce," he said moving towards her, attempting to wrap his arms around her. She merely pushed him away, moving towards the box again.

"W-we should go," she said softly, closing the box. "T-thank you for this," Cecelia turned to Gibbs, hefting the box into her arms, "and taking care of my…" she sniffed, her bottom lip wobbling. "I just wish…" she burst into tears again, and raced out of the room.

"Cecelia," Jack McGee called and chased after his wife.

"This decision of yours better be worth it, Gibbs," Vance said sharply before slowly walking out of the room. Gibbs slowly lowered himself into a chair, running a hand through his hair. He wondered if Vance was right. Was this really worth it?

He wasn't sure how long he sat in the conference room, but a familiar voice dropped him back to reality with an ugly thud. Gibbs stood, heading towards the conference room door, stepping back just as the door flew open.

"This is all your God damn fault," Eli David snarled stepping towards Gibbs, poking him in the chest with his finger. Vance and another agent stood behind David, ready to step in if either man started throwing punches.

"How so?" Gibbs questioned calmly, locking eyes with Eli.

"My daughter is dead because of you," the older man snapped, pulling himself to his full height. "She chose you over me and now she is dead."

"Let's face it, Eli, she would have died a lot sooner if she stayed with you," Gibbs commented, trying to keep his voice even. He trying not to think about Ziva dying; he didn't want to think about any of his kids dying.

"I have lost everyone," Eli whispered in a deadly voice. "You will pay for this."

"If you're going to kill me then get it over with," Gibbs stated spreading his arms out to his sides. He met Vance's eyes, silently making sure the younger guy knew he was willing to do whatever he had to do to stop the Deputy Director of Mossad from doing anything rash. He wasn't abandoning those three kids nor was he going to actually let Eli David kill him, but if it made him feel better to have a little power...

"Look, you both just lost people who were important to you," Leon said stepping between the two older men, throwing Gibbs a sharp look. "Eli, let's go up to my office, let you calm down."

"This is not over Gibbs," Eli threatened before he was ushered out of the conference room by the director.

Gibbs drew in a deep breath and slowly walked out of the room, glancing at Vance's and Eli's retreating back as he headed back to his desk. Again, he wondered if he were doing the right thing. He didn't like Eli David too much, but Gibbs understood him. The man was now completely and utterly alone, most likely swimming in a pool of sorrow, regret, guilt, and helplessness. Gibbs would have never wished that on anyone, not even his worst enemy.

**NCIS**

After work, Gibbs had Abby take the kids back to her place while he made a pit stop at a local bar. He hadn't been going to drink, but to seek out the one person that hadn't made it to the naval yard, yet.

He found him sitting at the counter, a glass full of whiskey sitting by his arm, head bent as he looked into his drink. Gibbs moved across the floor, sliding into a seat next to the man.

"Been wondering when you'd show up here," DiNozzo Senior stated softly, picking the glass up. He threw the liquor down his throat, signaling for another. Gibbs didn't say anything, keeping his blue eyes on the older man next to him. "You know, Junior would have walked through fire for you. He looked up to you more than he ever looked up to me." Senior drained his second drink, signaling for a third. "We were supposed to fix our relationship," he continued, slowly sipping his new drink. "We were supposed to get back to how we were before Maggie…" Senior ran a hand down his face, taking a deep, shuddering breath. He turned, his blue eyes locking on Gibbs'. "At least tell me he died saving someone; maybe attempting to protect Ziva or that McGee kid."

Gibbs swallowed, breaking eye contact with the older man. How could he do this to these people, take their kids from them? Maybe what he did wasn't such a good idea after all.

Clearing his throat, knowing he'd taken too long to answer Senior's question, Gibbs looked back at him and said, "That's exactly how he died."

Senior merely nodded, drained the rest of his drink, tossed some bills on the bar's counter, and stood, grabbing his jacket. He gave Gibbs a half-smile that didn't quite meet his eyes and said, "It's been a pleasure knowing you Gibbs." He then walked away, maneuvering around a crowd of college kids.

After his and Senior's conversation, Gibbs left the bar and drove around aimlessly, trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. But the more he tried to convince himself, the more he thought about Cecelia McGee sobbing over a box of McGee's stuff. Or of Eli David claiming this was all Gibbs' fault. Or of DiNozzo Senior sitting at the bar, a broken man, wanting to make sure his son didn't 'die' in vain.

It was almost ten when he arrived at Abby's. He probably should have just headed home, picked the kids up in the morning, but a part of him wanted to see them now; wanted to see the proof that he was, in fact, doing the right thing.

They were still up, watching a movie on Abby's big TV, and excitedly greeted him when Abby let him in. They then proceeded to each tell him about their day, talking over each other, their words blurring together, but to Gibbs it was exactly what he needed.

Once the kids talked themselves out, Gibbs told them to get their jackets on so they could head home. As they scrambled to collect their coats, Abby moved to stand next to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

Gibbs thought about his teams' families again, each reacting differently to their kids' 'deaths'. He very nearly told Abby the truth, told her that he wasn't sure he was doing the right thing, but forgone the decision. Instead, he smiled and said, "Yeah Abbs, I'm fine."


	3. Father Material

Gibbs found himself outside of Cecelia's and Jack's motel room. Raising his hand to knock, he froze when he heard raised voices from behind the door. Really not one to eavesdrop, he turned to leave but stopped when he heard his name.

"…Gibbs was more of a father to him than you ever were," Cecelia McGee snarled in a hysterical voice.

"I don't want to have this conversation," Jack retorted and Gibbs could hear him moving around the room.

"The fact that you let some stupid, petty argument keep you two from speaking for almost a decade is ridiculous to me. One phone call, one apology, and…"

"And what, Cecelia? Would things magically be different? Would our son be back?" Jack exploded and Gibbs heard a bang as if fists meet a hard surface; the wall or a table. It was quiet for a moment then he sighed, "Look, we're just going in circles here. I'm going to get the car."

Gibbs ducked into the shadows, just as the door opened. Jack McGee blindly walked past him, storming towards the elevators, leaving the door wide open. He waited a beat before moving towards the door. He watched Cecelia for a moment, sitting on the bed, looking down at a photo of herself and Tim.

Clearing his throat, Gibbs lightly knocked on the door, startling the blonde woman. She looked up, red rimmed green eyes resting on Jethro's blue ones, and hoarsely said, "A-Agent Gibbs, w-what are you doing here?"

"Jethro," Gibbs replied softly.

"What?"

"My name…" he trailed off, unsure what to tell her. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why he was there, but a nagging feeling in his gut told him he had to see her before she left town. He had to talk to her, make sure she was okay. He was taking her son, it was the least he could do. To make up for the awkward silence, Gibbs glanced at the photo in her hands.

"This was taken when he was ten," Cecelia said looking down at the picture, too. "He just won first place at his seventh grade science fair. I didn't want to move him up so many grades, but he was getting bored with the curriculum and the school counselor suggested we move him up…" she cleared her throat, a single tear rolling down her face. "H-he was s-so smart, always tinkering with all the a-appliances in our house. He took a-apart the toaster and attempted to m-make a robot when he was six."

She ran her hands down her face, sucking in a deep breath. Looking up from the picture, Cecelia said, "T-tell me about him."

"What?" Gibbs was taken aback by the request.

"I only knew him as my little boy," she replied holding up the photo. "I didn't know him like you did."

"He was smart," Gibbs stated moving to sit in one of the kitchenette chairs. "Did things with computers I couldn't even begin to understand."

"He got that from Penny. She used to drag him to all those technology museums, a few expos, anything that would stimulate his mind," Cecelia whispered glancing down at the picture again. She looked up again, sniffing. "What else?"

"He was loyal, put his family first before anything…" Gibbs remembered when McGee was willing to quit if it meant keeping his sister safe, and he recalled everything he did for Penny, too, when she got into trouble. "He was severely stubborn, but kind. He would write sympathy letters when we lost someone." He remembered Erin Kendall's death and McGee's insistence that he write her family a letter. "He was one of a kind. They all were one of a kind." The room fell into a heavy silence, one broke up by Cecelia's sniffs and shuddered breaths.

"He told me once you reminded him of his father," Cecelia commented softly, breaking the silence, looking at the photo for the third time. "I disagree with him. You're nothing like his father." She sighed, sniffing again, "You're better."

**NCIS**

The car ride home was quiet. Tony and Ziva were passed out cold while Tim stared out the window, lightly swinging his left foot. Gibbs thought back to what Cecelia had said, about how he was better than Tim's father. It made him feel slightly better, but not by much.

He pulled into his driveway, but didn't turn his car off. He saw someone stand from his porch steps and move towards his car. Glancing back at the kids for a second, Gibbs carefully got out of the car, thumbing the safety off his gun as he pulled it from his hip holster.

"That's far enough," he said pointing the gun at the approaching figure, keeping his back to the window, blocking the kids from view.

"I am not going to hurt you, Gibbs," Eli David's voice responded from the shadows.

"What do you want?" Gibbs asked still keeping his gun trained on the older man.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior. What I said was out of line, and I did not mean it. I was upset and I took it out on you."

"Okay," Gibbs replied lowering his gun a fraction of an inch. "Is that it?"

Eli drew in a deep breath and said, "She made her choice. Whether that was a good idea or not is not up to me, and you are probably right about her dying had she stayed with me…" he trailed off, breaking eye contact. "I was not the greatest father to any of my children. If I could go back and change things… well, I am not sure if I would or not.

"You were good for her, Gibbs," Eli continued after a short pause, "and it pains me to admit it, but it is true." David cleared his throat, running a hand through his graying hair. "Truer than it should have been," the older man added under his breath.

Gibbs knew he should probably say something, but he couldn't find the words, and before he could Eli was already turning to leave. "At least she had a few years of normalcy with you and your team. That is more than I gave her."

With those words lingering in the air, Eli nodded once to Gibbs and walked towards a waiting vehicle. For a split second, Gibbs wondered why David's security didn't rush him for holding a gun on their boss, but he figured Eli told them to leave it be, that he would not be harmed. At the time, whether or not that was true, Gibbs didn't exactly know, but now he lowered his gun, flicked the safety back on, and replaced it in his holster.

He turned back to the car, wondering if he were going to have another run in with DiNozzo Senior, but he lucked out and was able to carry the sleeping children into the house while McGee followed slowly in his wake.

"Who was that man?" the small boy asked curiously as Jethro struggled to unlocked his front door without dropping Tony.

At first Gibbs didn't reply, instead he carried Tony to the couch. He dropped the boy off, shooed Jethro away from him, and hurried back outside to get Ziva. Once all three kids were in the house and everything was locked up for the night, he turned to McGee and said, "He's a friend"

Okay, so Gibbs and Eli David would never_ real_ friends, and no amount of mutual respect would change that, but it would be hard to explain to Tim just how complicated his and Ziva's father's relationship was, so he fibbed a little. Tim seemed to buy it as he shrugged and a yawned.

"I think it's time for bed," Gibbs suggested as he nudged Tony and Ziva awake. He managed to get them up and around long enough to get them to their rooms and dressed for bed.

It didn't take long for each kid to go to sleep, and Gibbs used the time to clean up the living room a bit. He stashed the kids' toys in a wooden toy box he had made for Kelly several years ago, while placing their coloring books and crayons on top.

He was just placing their jackets in the closet when he heard a knock at the door. Gibbs moved towards it, his hand hovering near his gun. He slowly unlocked the door, opening it up a crack, and peered out at DiNozzo Senior.

"Can I help you?" Gibbs asked opening the door the rest of the way and stepping outside on the porch.

"I-I came for his things," Senior said through numb lips. "I figured you'd have them."

"It's in my trunk," Gibbs replied, ducking back in the house to grab his keys. Back outside, he led Senior to his Challenger. He opened the trunk, allowing DiNozzo to dig through the box of stuff from Tony's desk.

"What are all these awards?" the older man asked, holding up one of Gibbs' service awards. He knew Tony liked to keep the medals in a locked drawer in his desk. Sometimes Gibbs wished those awards were really Tony's; he deserved to win something after all the hard work he put into working at NCIS.

"Tony's accomplishments," Gibbs lied hoping Senior didn't take too hard of a look. "He deserved each and every one."

"And this?" Senior questioned, holding up a Mighty Mouse stapler.

"One of Tony's most prized possessions." Despite being given to him by his corrupted ex-boss, Gibbs noticed that Tony still kept the stapler on his desk. "As are these." Gibbs picked up a few photos, all of which featured various members of their team.

"He found a family, Gibbs," Senior whispered after a long, drawn out silence. "He didn't need me."

"He always needed you," Gibbs replied before he could stop himself.

"But I was never there. I wasn't there when he was shot in '02 and I wasn't there when he got the plague. The plague, Gibbs! Who the hell gets the plague in this day and age?" Senior ran a hand down his face, sucking in a deep breath. "You were there, though. You were always there for him." Senior looked Gibbs' way, blue eyes locked on blue, and said, "Thank you, for always being there for him."

DiNozzo Senior packed the box up after his speech and carried it to his car. He said a quick 'good-bye' to Gibbs and then drove away. Jethro watched his headlights until they disappeared around the corner. He then turned and headed back into the house.

**NCIS**

**Okay, I wanted to do a scene between Gibbs and McGee's father at the beginning, but when I started writing the beginning I began writing Cecelia and I liked the conversation between the two so I kept it. And that is why McGee Senior and Gibbs did not have a conversation.**

**As for the rest of the chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I just wanted to get the parents out of the way without resorting to actually killing them. I'm not sure, as of right now, if we'll see the kids' real parents again, but there is always a possibility.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites last chapter. You guys are amazing and thanks for reading.**

**Leave a comment if you can and I own nothing.**

**Bye!**

**P.S. I am not sure if Tony actually won any awards on the show nor can I remember the exact details from the Penny episode (I am a terrible fan, I know, and I should probably go back and watch the episodes again), so if anything's wrong I apologize.**


	4. Halloween

**Since Halloween is in a week and a half, I decided to write a chapter dedicated to the holiday. So, this is for everyone who celebrates it, and for those who do not... well, I hope you enjoy the chapter nevertheless.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews last chapter, I do not own these characters, and leave a comment if you can.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**NCIS**

About a week before Halloween, Gibbs and Abby took the kids to pick out costumes. Had it been up to Jethro, he would have taken them the day before, but Abby assured him all the good ones would be gone by that time, so here he was, on a Sunday, sifting through faux-super heroes, frilly pink dresses, and monsters whilst fighting a headache while a few dozen other kids ran around with their parents, looking for their own costumes.

"Gibbs, I want to be a werewolf," Tony announced as he picked up a fallen wolf mask.

"That's too big for your head, Tony," Abby pointed out, checking the tag. It did, in fact, say 'adult.'

"It is not," the brunette boy said and crammed it on his head. "Gibbs, I can't see!"

"Get that off," Gibbs said with a smile and pulled the mask from Tony's head.

"The light," Tony exclaimed, "it burns!" He then giggled and ran ahead to catch up with Tim and Ziva.

"That's a vampire," Abby called after him.

"Vampires are scary," Tony pointed out picking up a Superman costume.

"They are," Tim agreed walking over to Gibbs, a costume clutched in his hands. "Can I be this?" he asked curiously and the older man took the costume from him. He glanced down at it, a smile spreading across his face. It was of a character from a movie that came out a few years ago. The only reason he knew that was because Amira had watched it while she had been over at his house a few months ago; right before he had turned his team into kids.

"It's a robot, Gibbs," Tim said excitedly bouncing on his heels.

"It's also from a movie," Abby pointed out and the small boy's eyes widened.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Gibbs, can we…?"

"Maybe late," Gibbs stated just as Ziva and Tony approached him, the latter carrying a costume.

"I couldn't find a pilot costume, so I've decided to be a turtle," Tony said and handed over a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume. The kid on the package had an orange mask, but Gibbs couldn't remember what the turtle's name was.

"That's Michelangelo," Abby informed Tony taking the costume from the brunette. "He's one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"Turtles are not ninjas," Ziva commented crossing her arms stubbornly. "They are turtles."

"What's a ninja?" Tim asked curiously.

"They're fighters," Abby replied glancing down at him.

"So, these turtles fight? What do they fight with?" Tony questioned excitedly, looking at his costume.

"Well, this guy uses nunchucks."

"And what are nunchucks?"

"They are…"

"Abbs," Gibbs said cutting the Goth off. He didn't need his kids learning about weapons just yet, especially ones that he knew Tony would want. Before the boy in question could protest, Gibbs turned to Ziva and asked, "What about you?"

"I wanted to be a ballerina, but I cannot reach the costume," Ziva said and pointed to a shelf above them. "Tony said he would climb up there for me, but I told him you would not like that."

"Don't climb up there," Gibbs said moving towards the costumes.

"I know," Tony grumbled crossing his arms. "I was just trying to be helpful."

"Yes, but we don't want you to fall and hurt yourself," Abby stated giving him a small smile.

"Yeah Tony, falling hurts. Right Gibbs?" Tim called as he clung to the cart full of candy Abby insisted Gibbs buy.

"Right Tim," Gibbs replied as he grabbed Ziva's costume. "And here's your costume." He handed it to the little girl. She thanked him with a smile and clutched it protectively to her chest all the way to the checkout line.

**NCIS**

Since Tony kept asking about the fighting turtles, Abby broke down and bought him the cartoon on DVD. After watching the show several times, Tony had taken to putting his costume on and running around the house challenging everyone to a fight. He even asked Gibbs for some nunchucks, but the older man had been vehemently against getting him any. So, he improvised with a sock and a stick he found outside. After getting hit by it three times, and Ziva and Tim taking a turn getting whacked, Gibbs took the makeshift nunchuck away and forbade Tony from wearing his costume until Halloween.

Tim, after begging and pleading Gibbs to get him his robot movie, was now in search of the EVE to his WALL-E. He had asked Ziva, but she was already a ballerina (and, like Tony, had taken to wearing her costume around the house. Also, like Tony, she had hers taken away when she tried to do a dance off the couch and ended up breaking Gibbs' lamp) and refused to be EVE.

Abby almost volunteered, ready to blow off the Halloween party she had been invited to, but Gibbs remembered Leyla saying something about Amira being EVE. Gibbs figured it was the perfect opportunity to introduce his goddaughter and her mother to his kids, and Tim was excited when he learned someone else was dressing up as EVE.

He called Leyla the day before Halloween, asking if she wanted to go out trick-or-treating with him. She had then made a joke about him being too old, but agreed and said she'd bring Amira over a half an hour before they headed out.

"Who's Amira?" Tony asked fumbling with the girl's name a little.

"She's the daughter of a friend of mine," Gibbs replied as he moved towards the fridge to start dinner for the kids.

"How old is she?" Ziva questioned curiously, tying a bow around the neck of a disgruntled Jethro's.

"She's five," Gibbs stated, filling a pan with water.

"I'm almost five," the frizzy haired girl said proudly. "In Nove'ber."

"Yep," Gibbs said with a smile, placing his pan on the stove. "And when will you be five, Tony?" he turned to the brunette boy.

"July," Tony responded clambering into a chair. "What about you Timmy?"

"Septe'ber," Tim called from the living room.

"That makes you the little brother," Tony pointed out swinging his legs back and forth. "Isn't that right, Gibbs? Sept'ber has already passed, and it won't be here again until forever."

"That's right," Gibbs replied lighting the stove. "That's eleven months."

"Hear that Timmy," Tony shouted, "you won't be five for eleven months. That's like forever."

"Well, I'm turning five before _both_ of you," Ziva stated haughtily, stepping back to admire her work. Jethro just threw her a tired look, snorted, and laid down on the floor. "_That_ makes me older."

"When's your birthday, Gibbs," Tony asked, turning to look at the older man, choosing to ignore Ziva's comment.

"September," Gibbs replied leaning against the counter, looking down at the brunette boy.

"Just like Timmy," Ziva said and hurried in the living room. "Hear that Timmy. You and Gibbs has the same birthday month."

"Really?" Tim asked as he allowed Ziva to drag him into the kitchen.

"Yep," Gibbs replied nodding.

"Then I don't mind being the little brother," Tim said shrugging. "I gets the same birthday month as Gibbs."

The kids spoke about birthdays for a few more minutes, but grew bored of the conversation and soon started talking about all the candy they were going to get tomorrow. Tony said something about eating all his candy in one night only to have Ziva tell him he was going to get sick if he tried that, and both kids began arguing over whether or not Tony could eat all his candy. The argument lasted until dinner was served, neither kid winning nor losing.

As they began eating, Tony looked up at Gibbs and said, "Can I have my nunchucks back?"

"Eat your dinner Anthony," Gibbs replied without looking up from his plate.

"Okay," the brunette boy replied with a sigh and returned to his meal.

**NCIS**

It didn't take Amira very long to warm up to the kids. She took to Ziva right away, happy to see a girl her own age outside of school, and was excited that Tim had a WALL-E costume to match her EVE costume. It was Tony that she needed a minute to get used to. She was not used to so much energy that he overwhelmed her at first, but she soon adjusted to him and was all too happy to go trick-or-treating with all three kids.

"When you say you wished for this…?" Leyla stated as she and Gibbs followed the kids down the sidewalk. Gibbs could tell she was having a hard time wrapping her head around what he had just told her, and he didn't blame her. It took him awhile to come to terms with what he had done, too.

"It was a mistake that I really don't regret," Gibbs replied as they stopped out front of a blue, two-story. The two adults watched as the kids walked up to the door. Tony stood on tiptoe ringing the bell. It took a moment, but the door opened to reveal a plump, older woman wearing a witch's hat. She smiled down at the kids, commenting on their costumes, and then gave each kid a baggie full of candy.

"Gibbs," Tony exclaimed racing towards him, "she gave us Skittles. I LOVE Skittles!"

"Then you can have mine," Ziva stated as she, Tim, and Amira caught up to the brunette, "I do not like Skittles."

"Skittles are good, Ziva," Amira said slowly. "How can you not like Skittles?"

"I prefer M&Ms."

"Me too," Tim stated and the kids began good-naturedly arguing over which was better all the way to the next house.

"How did you explain away their absence to their parents?" Leyla asked the moment the kids raced to the next house's door.

"I took care of it," Gibbs replied evasively, watching as a teenager handed each kid a king size Snicker bar. He wondered who in the hell gave a four-year-old a that much sugar.

"You _lied_ didn't you?" Leyla questioned quietly just as the kids returned.

Gibbs waited until they were at the next house before replying. "I did what I had to."

"It is just, I read the paper Gibbs. It said they…" she trailed off, watching as a bigger kid approached Tim and started poking him. Gibbs started forward, ready to do whatever was necessary to get the kid to leave his kid alone, but stopped when he noticed Tony, Amira, and Ziva place themselves in front of Tim.

"You leave our brother alone," Tony snapped and kicked the kid in the shin. Ziva then bit the kid while Amira hit him in the arm with her bag of candy. The kid howled and ran back to his mother, tears streaming down his face.

"I think it is time we went home," Leyla suggested and Gibbs mutely nodded, hurriedly gathering his kids up and ushering them back to his car, half-heartedly scolding them on the way.

**NCIS**

After a quick stop at NCIS, where he had Abby (just catching her before she left for her Halloween party) test the candy for anything that could potentially kill his kids and Amira, he brought the three back home. He then dumped three bags of candy in the middle of the living room and had all three sit down.

"We are going to sort out what you want and what you don't want," he explained when Tony asked what he was doing.

"Okay," the brunette replied with a smile. "I call all the Skittles."

"Do you want any Skittles?" Gibbs asked Tim, just to clarify. The sandy haired boy shook his head and Gibbs relinquished all the Skittles into Tony's bag.

"We'll keep these in the freezer," the older man informed the kids, placing the king-sized Snicker bars just out of their reach, ignoring their loud protests.

It took almost forty minutes, but soon their candy had been divided up. Gibbs then proceeded to allow the kids to have two pieces each before putting the bags away. Again, he ignored their protests, instead promising the kids they could hand out candy.

"Alright," Tony exclaimed just as the doorbell rang. "I got it!" He raced towards the door, grabbing the candy bowl off the coffee table, spilling a few pieces onto the floor. He opened the door with some difficulty, looking up at a few teenagers holding pillow cases, dressed as the latest horror movie villains.

"What are you?" Tony asked as he handed each kid a handful of candy.

"I'm Jigsaw," the kid replied, his voice muffled from behind his mask.

"What's he from?" Ziva questioned moving to stand next to Tony.

"From the movie Saw," the kid's friend replied, lifting his Scream mask to reveal a pug face and blond hair. "What were you?" he asked curiously.

"I was a fighting turtle," Tony announced still wearing his Michelangelo mask on his head. "I had a pair of nunchucks, but Gibbs took them away."

"Stay strong little man," a third kid said behind a werewolf mask, a smile in his voice. "One day you might be able to get another pair." He then proceeded to give Tony a gentle noogie and then the three walked off the porch.

"He messed up my hair," Tony grumbled as he closed the door. He ran a hand down his hair, trying to flatten it, knocking his turtle mask to the floor.

"Oh you poor baby," Ziva cooed and messed it up again. She then ran away from him giggling.

"That's not funny," Tony exclaimed chasing after her.

**NCIS**

It was almost eight-thirty when the last trick-or-treater showed up. Tony, already bored with handing out candy, merely dumped the whole bowl into the kid's bag and then shut the door in his face. The brunette then handed the bowl to Gibbs and said, "It looks like we're all out of candy."

"Too bad," Ziva murmured from the easy chair, her eyes half mast. Tim was already asleep on the couch, clutching tightly to his giant WALL-E goggles.

"I think it's time for bed," Gibbs announced gathering Tim into his arms. The boy complained about being moved, but otherwise didn't say anything about going to bed.

"How's about one more piece of candy before bed?" Tony questioned looking up at Gibbs.

"Bed, Tony," Gibbs repeated and carried Tim up the stairs.

"Fine," the brunette replied with a sigh and both he and Ziva followed Gibbs up the steps. Once all three kids were put to bed, Gibbs headed back down stairs just as the door flew open. Abby ran inside, dressed as Catwoman, and said, "You took pictures, right?"

With a smile, Gibbs replied, "Like I told you before, Abs, Leyla took tons of pictures."

"Good because I was trying to leave the party early, but Carol wouldn't let me leave and I really wanted pictures…"

"Relax, Abby, you'll get your pictures," Gibbs replied softly.

"Good, that's good." She looked around the room, bouncing on the heels of her knee high boots. "I should head home. These shoes are killing my feet." She waved good-bye, heading out the door again. Gibbs smiled, closing the door after her and locking it. For a holiday he wasn't too fond of, he actually he enjoyed his first holiday with his kids.


	5. Questions and Grandpa

It was the first week of November when the kids started noticing their parents weren't coming for them. Gibbs expected tears, maybe a tantrum or two, but was surprised when they cornered him in the kitchen one morning and Tony bravely asked, "Are we gonna be living here now?"

Gibbs very nearly lied to them, almost played dumb and asked the boy to repeat his question, but thought better of it. They were a family now, and he tried not to lie to family. So, Gibbs drew a deep breath and said, "Yes."

"Are you our new Daddy?" Ziva questioned carefully, stepping forward to stand next to Tony.

"If you want me to be," Gibbs replied softly.

"Can we call you Daddy?" McGee whispered looking up at Gibbs, staying a few steps behind the others.

"If that's what you want, but you can keep calling me Gibbs, too."

The kids were quiet for a moment, no doubt processing what he had just told them, and then Tim nodded and said, "What's for dinner, Dad?"

"Yeah, _Abba_, I am hungry," Ziva stated following Tim to the table. They scrambled into their seats, eyeing Gibbs expectantly. Jethro, however, was looking down at Tony.

"Will you leave us?" Tony asked curiously.

"No," Gibbs replied honestly. He'd do whatever it took to stay with his kids and nothing short of death would take him away from them.

"How do _we_ know you're not lying?" Tony questioned, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Parents aren't s'posed to lie, but they do. How do we know you are not lying?"

"Tony," Gibbs started crouching down to the brunette boy's eye level, "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere, and do you know why?"

"Why?" the boy's green eyes widened, looking directly into Gibbs'.

"Because I always keep my promises."

**NCIS**

It took a few days for Tony to come around, but finally he accepted that Gibbs wasn't going to leave them. He still called Jethro 'Gibbs,' but he at least didn't keep asking if the older man was going to leave them.

"Where are we going?" Ziva asked Sunday morning while Gibbs handed out jackets, making sure each kid put it on and zipped it up.

"I want you to meet someone," Gibbs replied putting his own jacket on.

"Who?" Tim questioned curiously.

"My father," Jethro responded as he opened the door, allowing his kids to walk out before him. "Stay," he said to Tim's dog and the German Shepard 'humph' before lying down by the door. "Abby will be over later today to let you out again." The dog's head perked up at Abby's name and Gibbs smiled before closing the door and locking it.

The seven hour drive consisted of several questions and eighteen stops; seventeen for the bathroom and one for lunch (where the kids proceeded to go to the bathroom). By the time they made it to Stillwater, the kids not only knew a lot about his father, but were tired of the car and just wanted to get outside.

Gibbs stopped outside of his father's store, looking up at it. He wasn't sure how his father was going to take the news, but he knew Jackson would no doubt accept the kids regardless of his feelings. So, with a sigh, Jethro turned his car off and got out. He moved around to the passenger side, opened the door, and proceeded to let each kid out of their seats.

"Stay on the sidewalk," he advised them, and they nodded, waiting impatiently until he had closed his door. "Okay, let's go inside."

Jackson was helping a customer when Jethro walked in and smiled up at his son, only to raise his eyebrows when he spotted Gibbs' company. Jethro had his kids sit at the table and leaned against it, waiting until the customer left.

"See ya around, Bill," Jackson said and he, too, waited until the man left before moving towards his son. "Who are you?" he asked good-naturedly, looking at each kid in turn. "When did you have kids, Leroy? You have a lady friend I don't know about?"

"Dad, can we talk outside," Jethro asked nodding towards the door. Jackson nodded, a curious look on his face, and followed his son outside. Gibbs left the door open slightly, just so he could keep an eye on his kids, and then turned to his father. "There's something I need to tell you."

"So, they _are_ your kids? Are you adopting them? What's going on?"

Quickly, in a whisper so none of his kids could hear him, Gibbs recapped what had happened. Jackson waited until his son finished before saying, "You wished for this?"

"On accident," Jethro replied quickly.

"Don't you have one of those rules that say something about fixing your mistakes?"

"Dad, I'm not fixing…" Gibbs sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I've decided to raise them, give them better lives, and I was hoping you'd be their grandfather."

"Of course I will Leroy, but are you sure lying to their parents is the best decision? You let four people believe their children are dead. You, of all people, know what it feels like to lose a child."

"I've already heard it, Dad. From everyone, but I've made my decision."

"And I support you. I just hope you know what you're doing," Jackson replied after a beat, nodding his head. He then turned towards the door and said, "Can I meet them… again?"

"Yeah, go ahead. They want to meet you, too… again." Father and son shared a quick smile before heading back inside.

"Guys," Gibbs said and all three kids looked his way. "This is my father, Jackson Gibbs."

"Hi guys," Jackson greeted smiling at the kids.

"So, you're like our grandpa?" Tim and Tony asked curiously.

"Can we call you grandpa?" Ziva questioned.

Jackson was quiet for a moment, but he finally nodded and said, "I would like that."

**NCIS**

**I know I wrapped up the whole 'Are you my new Daddy' conversation with Gibbs and the kids too quickly, but I just wanted to get it out of the way. And I am sorry if Jackson is a tad OOC. I really don't know his character that well.**

**So, anyway, thanks for reading, these characters are not mine, and thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter.**

**Leave a comment if you can.**


	6. New Friend and School

**Okay, you can use your imaginations for the adoption stuff. I would have done the research, but my laziness kicked in, and I just wanted to get to the school stuff. I did look up what the cut off date was to start school in Virginia (because I am assuming Gibbs' house is in Virginia) and it is Sept. 30. McGee's birthday is at the start of Sept... the 13 I think, so he can go to school with Tony and Ziva.**

**So, yes, this skips ahead.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews last chapter, you guys are awesome, and leave me a comment if you can.**

**Thanks for reading and I only own this computer from which I typed this.**

**See ya!**

**NCIS**

By the time the kids were ready to start kindergarten, they had had their last names officially changed and Gibbs had legally become their father. Tony had still been reluctant to call the older man 'Dad.' For Ziva and Tim, it had become second nature to them, and they had encouraged Tony to do the same, but Gibbs wasn't pushing the small boy; he'd say it when he was ready.

"Oh my, gosh," Abby gushed snapping pictures with her phone. "I can't believe you guys are starting school today. It feels like only yesterday when you guys were throwing mud balls at me."

"That was yesterday, Abs," Gibbs stated looking around for his keys.

"I know," she replied taking another picture.

"Abby, I think you have enough photos."

"Gibbs, these are memories. One day you are going to show these pictures to their first dates and gush about how cute they were." She snapped one last picture before straightening up, her eyes landing on Gibbs' furrowed eyebrows. "Okay, so I'll be the one showing their first dates these pictures, but I can't do that if I don't…"

"Are we going?" Tim asked standing by the door, impatiently rocking back and forth on his heels. Out of the three kids, he had been the most excited to go to school. He also was up, dressed, and ready to go before anyone else had gotten out of bed.

"We're ready Tim," Gibbs said and ushered the other kids towards the door.

"Do I have to go?" Tony asked as Tim opened the door and rushed outside, stopping at the bottom of the steps.

"It's just for a few hours, Tony," Abby replied closing the door behind her. "And it'll be fun. You get to meet new friends and do fun things."

"Those shots weren't fun," Tony grumbled kicking a rock, one hand clutching his Ninja Turtle backpack. "I think needles are icky."

"They did hurt," Ziva agreed nodding her head. "I don't ever want to get another one."

Gibbs didn't have the heart to tell her they were bound to get a few more growing up. So, he just smiled and said, "I'm sure you won't."

"Gibbs! The bus is here!" Tim jumped up and down, clearly not paying attention to the conversation. He ran towards the bus, but stopped when he realized he didn't have his backpack. He raced back to Abby, accepting it from her, and hurried back towards the driveway just as the bus stopped and the doors opened.

Abby started taking pictures again, being sure to get each kid getting on the bus. Tony was the last to get on. He glanced over his shoulder, still looking uncertain, and Gibbs gave him an encouraging smile. With one, final, deep breath and a reluctant wave, Tony turned back around and continued on the bus.

The driver waited until all three were sitting before driving away. Gibbs had enough time to catch Tim and Ziva waving out the window before the bus turned the corner, taking the kids with it. For a while Gibbs and Abby stood outside, the former still watching the spot where Tony had gotten on the bus while the latter was fiddling with her pictures.

"Don't worry bossman," Abby said after a few moments pause. "He'll be fine. They'll all be fine."

"I know," Gibbs replied after a beat. He then turned and headed back into the house, needing to find his keys so he could get to work. He knew his kids were going to be fine, but maybe he needed the reminder anyway.

**NCIS**

The playground made Tony think of the park except there were a lot more kids. Some were talking to each other, others playing on the play stuff, while a few stayed by themselves. Tony stuck close to Ziva and Timmy because they were the only two kids he knew. Or, he tried to stay close to Ziva and Tim.

A group of girls asked Ziva to play with them, and with a smile she left him and Tim to join her new friends. And since Tony still found girls yucky, he said no when she asked him to go with her. For a while, Tony had Timmy, but he lost him when he saw a boy reading a book on the sidewalk. Tony found books too boring and didn't join his brother as he headed towards the boy.

Now he was alone, and for a moment he felt sad. They had left him all by himself. Maybe he shouldn't have said no when they asked him to play. He felt his eyes burning, and he wondered if the other kids would laugh if he started crying, but before he could find out he heard a voice say, "Hi."

"What?" he turned, eyes falling on a dark haired kid standing behind him. "Hi."

"I'm Matty," the kid said.

"Tony," Tony replied.

"Do you wanna play cars with me?" Matty asked, holding two cars in his hands. "I got them for my birthday from my Mommy and Daddy. I had asked for a pair of those wheel shoes, but they said I was too young." For a split second, Matty made Tony think about how Abby talked sometimes, and he almost laughed.

"You wanna play cars?" he asked instead, knowing that laughing might upset Matty.

"Yes, but only if you want to. I don't know anyone and I was just asking. You can say no, but then I wouldn't have anyone to play with. I guess I could go sit with the book kids." he gestured to Timmy and the other boy, both sitting by each other, looking over the book in his lap. "Or the girls." Matty made a face towards the group of girls where Ziva played.

"That's my brother and sister," Tony said feeling the need to point that out. If the kid was going to be mean to his family, he couldn't be friends with him.

"Oh, then do you wanna play with them?"

Tony looked at both Timmy and Ziva, both having fun with their own friends. He then looked back at Matty, suddenly feeling not so sad, and nodded. "Okay, let's play cars."

**NCIS**

Gibbs waited for the school to call, but other than a few agents he didn't get a single phone call all day. After work, he headed home, parked his car in his driveway, and walked across the street to his neighbor's to pick up his kids.

Gibbs was expecting Tony to ask if he could stay home, but he was surprised when the little boy opened the door and excitedly said, "I love school! I made a friend and I got to color and we counted to twenty today! I like my teacher and I wanna go back every day!" As the brunette boy continued to gush on and on about school, Ziva and Tim wandered into the living room with Gibbs' neighbor and they, too, began talking about their day.

By the time Gibbs got home, after waving at his neighbor and having the kids collect their stuff, he had learned that Tony's new friend was named Matty, McGee had met a boy named Grant who liked the same book he did, and Ziva had become friends with a group of girls, but the only name Gibbs could remember was Tara. The kids were also excited to tell Gibbs that Amira went to their school, also, but they didn't see her until the end of the day.

"I told you that," he said patiently as he began making them dinner.

"Yeah, but we forgot," Ziva pointed out from her usual seat at the table, swinging her legs back and forth. He merely smiled her way and returned to whatever he was cooking.

"How was your day?" Tim asked curiously from the floor, running his fingers through Jethro's fur. "Did you see any bad guys?"

"Did you get to shoot anyone?" Tony questioned from the living room, over the sounds of the TV.

"No," Gibbs answered both boys. "My day was okay," he said glancing down at Tim.

"Did you see Abby?" Ziva inquired bringing her legs up so she could rest her chin on her knees. "Or Uncle Ducky or Jimmy?"

"I had lunch with Abby and Ducky," Gibbs replied adding spaghetti noodles to the boiling water. "And I saw P… Jimmy this morning." Gibbs wasn't used to calling Ducky's assistant by his first name, but the kids only knew him as Jimmy, and he had taken to trying to call him Jimmy around them. It was slow going, but he guessed old habits died hard. "Abby said she'd try to come over tonight," he added after a few seconds pause.

"Really?" Tim and Ziva excitedly said together. Gibbs nodded and Ziva yelled, "Hear that Tony! Abby might come over!"

"Cool! I can tell her about…" Tony trailed off when the door flew open and Abby ran inside.

"Where's my little kindergarteners," she called and the kids ran to her, gave her a hug, and began telling her about their day. Gibbs was surprised she could keep up with them, but by the time dinner was done she had learned everything he had learned about their first day of school.

"That's awesome," she said as they all sat down at the table to eat. "It sounds a lot better than my first day of school."

"What happened?" Tony asked curiously as Gibbs served each kid a plate of spaghetti.

"My mom bought me this bright, white dress, and some kid threw mud on it," Abby replied making a face.

"That kid sounds mean," Ziva stated, her face contorted in shock and a hint of anger. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he was a little s…"

"…bad person," Gibbs supplied for the Goth, knowing what type of word she had in mind.

"Yeah, like Gibbs said, a bad person."

"That's not what you wanted to say," Tony said around a mouthful of spaghetti, the sauce covering his face.

"And what was I going to say?" Abby asked curiously, avoiding looking Gibbs' way.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it was a bad word," the brunette boy replied and returned to his food. Abby and Gibbs shared a quick smile and then the table fell silent.

**NCIS**

That night, after the kids' bath, Gibbs put them to bed after a quick story. Tony had sat through it because Ziva and Tim asked him to, and he tried to pretend he didn't like it, but Gibbs could see what through him. He enjoyed every story Gibbs read to them.

As he was tucking the boys in-Ziva already down for the night-Tim whispered, "Night Dad."

"Night buddy," he replied ruffling the kid's hair. The sandy haired boy snuggled deeper into his blankets, but Gibbs knew it was going to take a while for him to go to sleep. He was just as excited about his second day of school as he was for his first.

Gibbs smiled then turned his attention to Tony. The brunette boy was watching him, a look of deep concentration on his face. Eyebrows slightly furrowed, Gibbs asked, "What's up, Tony?"

"I want to ask you something," the boy stated softly.

"You can ask me anything. You know that."

Tony nodded, drew in a deep breath, and asked, "Is it okay if I call you Dad now?"

The question took Gibbs by surprise for all of seven seconds, but he finally, mutely, nodded. Tony responded by nodded back and saying, "Night Dad."

"Good night Tony."

**NCIS**

**I was thinking about doing more of the kids' POVs, but I don't know yet. Let me know if you liked that :)**


	7. Birthday Questions

Gibbs checked the mail Monday night, after picking the kids up from his neighbor's house. Besides the normal amount of junk and bills, he found an invitation for all three of his kids to a birthday party. It was for that Grant kid, the one McGee had been talking about nonstop since school started two months ago.

Gibbs really, really, really didn't want to spend a Saturday afternoon surrounded by two dozen kids, but he knew the kids would want to go (at least Tim would want to go), and it wasn't going to kill him to spend a few hours 'mingling' with other parents.

So, that Saturday, he found himself standing outside a green, two story house, holding a gift all three kids picked out, whilst trying to convince Tony to get out of the car.

"I don't wanna," Tony grumbled sitting in his seat, his arms crossed. "I wanna go home and watch Ninja Turtles."

"I promise you, Tony, Abby is recording it," Gibbs said trying to recall what Abby had said about her recording device, but to no avail. It was a lot of technical babble that he tuned out. "You'll be able to watch it later."

"B-but I don't even know Grant," the brunette boy pointed out sullenly.

"Tony, I asked Grant's mother, and she said Matty is going to be here," Gibbs stated, noticing Tony perk up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so will you please get out of the car?"

The brunette boy sniffed once and then nodded, scrambling out of his seat. Gibbs stepped back to let him out of the car, and then he ushered his horde towards the house.

He knocked, waiting patiently for someone to answer the door. Finally, two women answered the door. "Hi," a red head said, and Gibbs recognized her voice from when he RSVP'd.

"Hi," he responded with a smile.

"You must be…" she squinted her eyes, studying him briefly. "Jethro? I recognize your voice. I'm Carrie." She shook hands with Gibbs then gestured to the other woman. "This is my partner Parker."

Parker smiled and said, "Grant is going to be so excited that you guys are here." She looked down at the three kids and curiously asked, "So, which one of you is Tim?"

"This is Tim," Gibbs replied resting his hand on the sandy haired boy's head. He wasn't bothered by the fact that Grant had two mothers, but he knew his kids were going to have questions. And, when Tony turned to him and opened his mouth, Gibbs quickly shook his head. He'd answer them later.

"Oh, Grant has told us so much about him," Parker gushed as she and Carrie let the Gibbs' into the house. "He's also told us a little about… Ziva and Tony?"

"Yeah, Tony and Ziva," Gibbs replied nodding, confirming her question, gesturing to his other two kids. "And Tim had told me a lot about Grant, too."

The women led Gibbs and his kids down a hallway, featuring several pictures full of three different kids. The older two looked a little like Parker while the younger looked like Carrie. "I didn't know you had any more kids," he commented as they stepped into a spacious kitchen.

"Yeah, our daughters Taylor and Gracie. They are a few years older than Grant," Carrie replied opening the back door, children's screams and laughter wafting into the house. Gibbs watched as about a dozen kids ran around out back.

"You guys can go ahead," Parker said to his horde. They nodded and headed outside, though Tony hesitated for a moment. As they joined their classmates, Carrie took the gift from Gibbs while Parker offered him a beer. Maybe this party wouldn't be so bad after all.

**NCIS**

During the party, Gibbs met Tony's friend Matty, Tim's friend Grant, and two or three of Ziva's friends. Again, the only name he could remember was Tara. It could be because Ziva mentioned Tara more than the others or that her name was the most normal of the group. Whatever the case, he had a feeling Tara would always be the only name he could remember.

In addition to his children's friends, he also met about a dozen parents. Matty's were very, as the older Tony once described, 'new agey.' They reminded Gibbs of those protesters he used to see when he was younger. Whether or not he agreed with their beliefs, he at least was respectful enough to talk to them. He also met Tara's mother, but she seemed to be on her phone most of the day, so Gibbs really didn't get to talk to her much.

He also met a few single parents, but the majority of them consisted of a woman dragging her husband to a kid's party when he'd rather be home watching a game or something. Gibbs could easily point those guys out. They stood in a loose group, each holding a beer, arguing over the game they were missing. One brought up the recorder device thing Abby had been talking about, the DRV or whatever, and how he was recording it.

"I'm gonna watch it when I get home. Since I got that new flat screen, Maggie hasn't really bothered me much," the guy was saying.

"Jeez, I wish I had a TV. in my basement," another said glumly. "It'd sure be quiet for fifteen minutes. You know, without three girls screaming at each other or their mother screaming at me." The men shared an awkward chuckle before returning to their football talk.

After meeting as many parents as he could, and forgetting half their names, Gibbs spent the majority of the time sitting on a porch swing, keeping an eye on his kids. Tony and Matty had recruited a few other boys and together they were running around Ziva and her friends, making noises every time they tried talking. While Tim, on the other hand, sat with Grant and a little blonde girl, coloring at a small, wooden picnic table.

"Tim isn't very social is he?" Parker asked as she sat next to him.

Gibbs turned his head, met her eyes, and said, "He doesn't make friends very easily." It was the same thing when Tim was on his team. With the exception of a few girlfriends (stuff that Gibbs hadn't really cared about but still heard about), McGee pretty much hung around with his co-workers. In fact, Jethro couldn't remember ever meeting an actual, outside work friend of Tim's. He'd met a few of Tony's, back when DiNozzo had first joined his team, and he even knew Ziva had made a few when she was an adult, but they were the more social of his team, just like Abby. Tim was a different story.

"Neither is Grant," Parker replied softly. "In fact, Carrie was a little afraid to send him to school. He's always been a little shy, preferring to read than actually play with the other kids."

"Tim, too. I'm pretty sure if it was just him and not Ziva and Tony, he wouldn't talk much," Gibbs admitted turning back to the boy in question. The little blonde girl laughed at something he had just said, and Grant smiled.

"I'm glad Grant met your son."

"Yeah, me too," Jethro muttered just as Ziva approached him. "What's up?"

"Tony will not stop bugging me and my friends," she said gesturing behind her. "I did not want to tattle, but he will not stop and I want you to make him stop, please."

With a sigh, Gibbs stood up. He turned back to Parker and said, "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," she replied getting to her feet also, "I think Gracie is home." She then headed back into the house while Gibbs crossed the lawn to deal with his son.

**NCIS**

The party ended at three, all three kids jacked up on juice boxes, cake, and ice cream. They each were clutching their goodie bags and balloons as they followed Gibbs outside. The older man led them to the car, placing each one in the seat, and buckling them up.

The moment the passenger door was closed, he moved around the car and got inside. He was barely on the road, maybe a block away from Grant's house, when Tony asked, "Why does Grant have two mommies?"

Jethro knew this was coming, and he had actually thought about how he was going to handle this question during the party. He took a deep breath and said, "Sometimes, when people fall in love, they fall in love with members of the same gender as them."

"Why?" Ziva asked curiously.

"Because love is complicated," Gibbs replied slowly, "and we can't control who we fall in love with, and Grant's parents love each other."

"Just like Matty's parents?" Tony questioned.

"Exactly, just like Matty's parents," Gibbs responded nodding. "I just want you guys to remember that Parker and Carrie are no different than any other set of parents, okay?"

"Okay," the kids agreed in unison.

"Good."

Gibbs didn't want to raise his kids to judge others. He wanted them to accept some things for the way they were, but to also ask questions if they had them. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was prejudice, but he knew he couldn't help it, and he also knew his kids were going to see it growing up. His goal was to give them an open mind regardless of what others said around them, and hope that they passed it on to their children. It was a lot to hope for, but he was taking a page out of Abby's book and remaining optimistic.

"I think Grant's mommies are very nice," Tim commented catching Gibbs' attention.

"Me, too," Ziva agreed nodding.

"Do you think Ms. Carrie will make me a cake for my birthday?" Tony asked curiously and Gibbs smiled. Maybe he wasn't doing such a bad job after all.

**NCIS**

**Okay, I didn't write this chapter to start a religious debate or share my beliefs. I wrote it because this sort of stuff happens, kids ask questions, and sometimes it involves something like same sex couples. That's life, and sometimes we've just got to accept it regardless of how we feel. So, yeah, my spiel is over now.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, I do not own these characters, and thank you for the reviews last chapter.**

**See ya**


	8. Wheezes, Glasses, and Worries

Gibbs wasn't sure why the school had called him, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't worried. It had been a few months, the kids hadn't had any disciplinary notes sent home, so why was the school suddenly so interested in talking to him?

He was sitting in the office, having taken the morning off so he could make his appointment, waiting for whoever set the meeting, and was surprised when the school nurse approached him. He smiled and said, "Mr. Gibbs?"

"Yeah, that's me," Jethro said getting to his feet.

"I'm Nurse Lawrence," the guy greeted, offering him his hand. They briefly shook hands and then Lawrence turned and led Gibbs into his office. He gestured to a chair and said, "Please, have a seat."

Gibbs sat, giving the man a questioning look. A part of him hoped this had nothing to do with head lice or something equally bad. He knew how easily those things could spread, and the last thing he wanted was to infect the entire naval yard.

"I'm concerned about Tony and Tim," the nurse stated leaning back in his chair.

"Why?" Gibbs asked curiously, feeling his stomach tightening with worry and fear.

"Have you noticed anything off about your boys?"

"Tim has had this cold he can't seem to shake," Gibbs said slowly, "but Tony seems fine. Yesterday he did have trouble reading a sign, but all of my kids usually have trouble with the bigger words."

"I don't think it _just_ a cold or the bigger words," the nurse replied sifting through a pile of papers, looking for something. "Have you thought about asthma for Tim's problem?" He pulled out a pamphlet from the bottom of the pile and handed it to Gibbs.

Asthma? Gibbs recalled, before he was de-aged, Tim saying something about asthma a few times, and Ducky had told Jethro to keep an eye on him when he had come down with bronchitis back in November. Maybe his sudden bout of illnesses had something to do with his lungs.

"I'll get him checked out," Gibbs said slowly and Lawrence nodded. "What about Tony? What did you mean by 'not _just_ big words'?"

"Tony's teacher has noticed that he had been squinting a lot recently, and even takes a while to tell her what flashcards she's holding up. It's like he can't seem to read it. And I don't mean he can't read…"

"No, he's been reading for a while now," Gibbs stated furrowing his eyebrows. Tony had taken a bit longer than the other two, but he had been reading for almost six months now. He didn't enjoy it, but if he needed to read something he could do it. Or, well, he used to be able to do it.

"I think Tony might need glasses," the nurse suggested.

**NCIS**

"I look stupid," Tony whined fiddling with the glasses on his face.

"You look fine," Gibbs stated scooping a sweater off the floor. By the color, it had to be Ziva's, and he turned to her and asked, "Where is this supposed to be?"

"My room," she replied from the couch.

"And is it?"

She sighed, but slid off the couch and took the sweater from him. She then headed up stairs without a backwards glance.

"But Dad, I don't need these," Tony insisted taking his glasses off his face. "I can see fine." His lie would have been more convincing if he wasn't squinting.

"Tony, listen to me," Gibbs said softly, crouching down to his height. "You're not the only one who wears glasses. Abby wears glasses, Ducky, Jimmy, even Grandpa Gibbs. You need them to help you see, and with luck you won't need them very long."

"But…"

"You don't look stupid. Trust me, okay?"

"Yeah, Dony, you look like Harry Podder," Tim said from the couch, sniffing, running a hand across his runny nose. Ducky had confirmed what the school nurse had already said, and Tim hadn't been very happy about having to carry around an inhaler, but he knew it was there for him when he needed it, and had reluctantly accepted it.

"I do not," Tony said sullenly, crossing his arms. "Harry Potter is stupid. Jimmy shouldn't have read us those stupid books. If anything, he looks like Harry Potter."

"You know who else wears glasses, Tony?" Gibbs asked softly, getting the brunette's attention.

"Who?"

"Me."

**NCIS**

Since finding out his dad wore glasses, Tony didn't find them so stupid anymore. In fact, they made reading easier and he realized he didn't hate it so much after all. He wouldn't tell the others though. They didn't need to know he didn't think reading was stupid.

It was time for recess, a new word Miss Gray had taught them, and Tony was playing tag with Timmy, Matty, and Grant. Since Grant's birthday, with the bestest cake ever, Tony liked playing with Grant. He was funny and liked Ninja Turtles, and he also got to spend time with Tim. Plus, Matty said he didn't mind playing with Tim and Grant either, and Tony was glad. He wanted Matty to like Tim. Timmy was his little brother after all.

"You're it," Tim yelled tagging Tony. His breathing was too fast and sounded funny, like his mouth was whistling. Tony couldn't whistle yet, but Jimmy had been trying to teach him and told him all he had to do was make an 'o' shape and blow, but Timmy was _not_ making the 'o' sound or blowing.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His stomach was hurting and not in the sick way either. He was scared that there was something wrong with Timmy.

"My chest hurts," Tim replied coughing, running a hand across his chest.

"Where's your inhayer?" Tony had remembered his dad and Uncle Ducky saying that Timmy should use it if his chest hurt or if he started coughing too much or if his breathing sounded funny.

"M-my jacket," Timmy said taking it out of his pocket. It was a funny l-shape thing with a metal thing at the top that Timmy had to push to get air or something.

"'Member, you have to shake it," Tony said unaware that Matty and Grant were standing next to them now.

"I-I know."Timmy shook his inhaler and took a puff on it. Tony had seen him do it a couple times since getting it, but it was always a little scary.

"Are you okay now?" Tony asked, his stomach still hurting. He remembered Dad saying something about 'worry' and how it made stomachs hurt sometimes; maybe that was what he was feeling, this 'worry' thing.

"I-I'm fine," Tim replied taking another puff. "Can we do something else?"

"What's wrong?" Grant asked and he looked scared.

"He has asma," Tony stated fumbling the word. "He needs his inhayer to breath sometimes."

"My cousin has that," Matty said nodding. "He had an attack once, but I didn't see anyone hitting him, but my mom says it was an attack."

"Are you boys okay?" the outside duty asked, approaching them. She spotted the inhaler in Tim's hand and said, "I think we'd better get you to the nurse."

"Ma'am, I think he's fine now," Tony said stepping in front of Timmy. He did not want Tim to go to the nurse. What if the nurse sent him home? Timmy had already missed school when he had brontitus, or whatever his dad called it, he couldn't miss anymore.

"The nurse should still make sure," the duty insisted.

"I wanna come too, then," Tony stated just as Ziva appeared from nowhere.

"What's wrong?" she asked curiously, looking more scared than Grant.

"Timmy needed his inhayer and now he needs to go to the nurse," Tony replied quickly.

"Then let's go to the nurse," Ziva said and started towards the door.

Tony looked up at the lady, nodded once, and then turned to Tim. "C'mon, Timmy," he said lightly gripping his brother's elbow and helping him to the nurse's office.

**NCIS**

The second call in so many weeks, Gibbs was beginning to think homeschooling would be a better option. He raced into the school, unsure whether or not he left his car running; he couldn't even remember if he shut the door, but that didn't matter; one of his kids was in the nurse's office.

He found a stubborn Tony and Ziva standing in the main office, refusing to leave despite the fact that the outside attendant was trying to escort them back to class.

"We're not leaving without Timmy," Tony said crossing his arms.

"And you can't make us," Ziva stated putting her hands on his hips.

"Please guys, Timmy is going to be fine," the attendant said looking up to see Gibbs. "Can you help me?" He recognized her from Grant's party, and was fairly certain she was one of Ziva's friends' moms (maybe Megan? Katie?)

"Yeah," he replied and Ziva and Tony turned to see him.

"Dad, tell her we're not leaving without Timmy," Tony said and he and Ziva raced towards him. Ziva nodded stubbornly, her eyes brighter than usual.

"He had to use his inhayer," Ziva said sniffing. "Tony said he was running and then his breathing was whistling and soon he was coughing…" she drew a deep breath. "I wanna see Timmy, Abba," she whispered and hugged his leg.

"Me too," Tony replied moving closer to Gibbs.

"Where's Tim?" Gibbs asked looking up at the attendant.

"In there," she responded, nodding towards the nurse's office. Jethro gave her a quiet 'thank you' and led his kids into the room.

Tim was sitting on the cot, lightly kicking his feet, looking paler than normal. His breathing was still a little wheezy, but Gibbs knew it could have been a lot worse.

"Mr. Gibbs," Lawrence said getting to his feet. "It's nice to see you again though I wish circumstances were different." Jethro nodded, just as Ziva and Tony moved across the room. They scrambled on the cot, next to Tim. Ziva gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek.

The nurse nodded towards the door and Gibbs followed him outside. Leaving the door open slightly, Lawrence turned to Jethro and said, "He's going to be fine. I think the cold air triggered an episode."

"His doctor said that could happen," Gibbs said slowly. Ducky had given him a list of stuff to watch out for, and Jethro had stuck it to the fridge (after Abby had made him a copy he could carry around in his wallet).

"I do suggest you take him home for the rest of the day, and since it's almost time for the kindergarteners to go home the principal agreed to let you take Tony and Ziva, too."

"I'm sorry about…" he nodded towards the nurse's office. "They usually do as they're asked."

"They were worried about their brother," Lawrence replied softly. "Enjoy it while it lasts. In a few years they'll be at each others' throats." Gibbs smiled slightly and then returned to the nurse's office collect his children.

On the drive home, Gibbs still couldn't shake the worry he had felt for Tim. Is this what it was going to be like from now on? Tim running the risk of having an attack if he ran too much or the weather was too hot or too cold? What happened if he couldn't get to his inhaler in time and the hospital called the next time? What happened if one of his colds turned into something worse because of his bad lungs? He didn't want Tim to end up like adult Tony.

In fact, he didn't want any of his kids to end up like adult Tony, but unless he wrapped them in a bubble until they were eighteen (something Abby was surely going to suggest when Gibbs told her what happened), he was going to have to get used to worrying. Kids got sick and hurt, it happened, and he had to accept it was going to happen whether he liked it or not.

"Gibbs, I'm hungry," Tony whined getting his attention.

"Yeah, Abba, I'm hungry, too," Ziva chimed in and Tim nodded in agreement.

Gibbs smiled slightly, glancing back at his children, and said "Then let's go eat."

**NCIS**

**There was an episode where Tim said he had asthma, so this is where this chapter came from (or part of the chapter). The other half was tonight's episode and that photo of Tony in boarding school. The show didn't really specify when he got glasses, but I figured I could just take creative license and roll with it. Plus, I got to compare Palmer to Harry Potter again (I swear, he looks just like him glasses and all... he even has the green eyes... hmm, crossover potential?)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and for the reviews last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

**I do not own these characters, drop me a comment if you can, and see ya in the next chapter.**

**Bye!**

**P.S. I Googled 'Male School Nurses' and they are out there (I've never had one, but they do exist), and I decided to make the kids' nurse a dude. Oh, and in Bloodbath (an episode I am not too fond of) Abby had glasses on, so I am either assuming she wears glasses... even if it is to court.**


	9. Thanksgiving

**This chapter is a Happy Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate it). If you don't, well I hope you enjoy it anyway :)**

**Thanks so much for the reviews last chapter, you guys are awesome, and thanks for reading.**

**I own no one recognizable.**

**See ya!**

**P.S. The kids are around 19 or 20 in this chapter. I thought I'd age them a bit (I promise they will be small again in the next chapter) for now.**

**P.P.S. Oh, and for the Anon reviewer who asked how Tim could be the little brother. In the chapter entitled _Halloween_ Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs have a conversation about birthdays. Since the kids were deaged in October, Ziva's birthday would be in November meaning she'd be the oldest. Then Tony's birthday would be in June (making him middle), and Tim's birthday, naturally, wouldn't be until September the following year (making him the youngest). I really hope that cleared that up.**

**NCIS**

Tim looked down at the black turkey and said, "I think it's supposed to be brown."

"Really Tim-Tim? Man, am I glad you are here otherwise I would have never known what color the turkey was _supposed_ to be," Tony stated sarcastically, waving his hand to clear the smoke coming from the turkey.

"Is there any way to salvage it?" Tim asked curiously.

"Do you have a time machine?" Tony retorted just as his doorbell rang. "Can you get that?"

Tim moved across the small apartment, pulling the door open to reveal Ziva carrying an armful of pies while a bag from Boston Market swung from her arm. "Are you going to help me, Tim, or just stand there?"

"Sorry," he said taking the pies from her. He led her into the kitchen, noticing her nose scrunch up when she smelt the remains of Tony's turkey.

"How much do you love me?" she asked looking his way.

"Right now I pretty much hate everyone, so not very much," Tony retorted carrying the turkey pan across the room. He dropped it in the sink and turned, leaning back against the counter. "Why?"

"Well, since I know your cooking skills are subpar at best, I decided to make a stop at the store." She waved the bag in his face, and for the first time Tim could smell turkey coming from the confines of the paper. "I bought the last two turkeys."

"I love you," Tony said with a grin pushing away from the counter. "You are my favorite sister." He took the bag from her, gave her a quick, one armed hug, and carried the bag over to the counter.

"I also bought a few pies that my roommate made, but don't ask me what's in them. I don't know." She gestured to the pies that Tim still held.

"Isn't she the freak who chained herself to a tree to keep it from getting cut down?" Tony asked taking the turkeys from the bag.

"She was standing up for what she believed in," Ziva defended her roommate, giving Tony a pointed look.

"By nearly getting herself killed," he retorted flashing a grin her way. "Yeah, that's the right way to fight the system. Sometimes I wonder about those tree huggers."

"Let's not forget you dated the vampire girl," Ziva pointed out wiping the grin off Tony's face.

"What does that...? She wasn't a vampire girl," Tony muttered just as his microwave beeped. "She was into…"

"Yes?" Ziva leaned forward, waiting for the rest of his words. He mumbled something as he took the potatoes from the microwave. "What was that, Tony, I didn't quite catch that?"

"Werewolves, okay? She thought she was a werewolf," Tony exclaimed whirling around to face her. "Are ya happy?"

"Ecstatic," she replied with a smile, another knock sounding from Tony's door. Tim excused himself to get it, leaving Ziva and Tony to continue their argument.

He opened the door to reveal Abby and her friend Kumal, the latter carrying a bag full of food while the former clutched a Tupperware container full of cookies. "Oh my God," she exclaimed giving Tim a hug. "I haven't seen you in almost two months! How's MIT? Did you meet any new friends, yet? Did you get those books I sent you? Oh my God, tell me everything!"

"I will, but maybe you should come in first," Tim said sharing a quick smile with Kumal.

"That's a good idea," Abby responded and Tim allowed her access to Tony's apartment. She carried her container into the kitchen, reacting the same way she had with Tim when she spotted Ziva and Tony.

"I really miss you guys," she gushed as soon as Tim entered the kitchen. "With Ziva in California and Timmy in Massachusetts and Tony in New York, I barely have time to call you guys let alone visit. How is everyone?"

As Ziva started talking about her friends and classes at Stanford, Tim excused himself to answer the door again. He wondered when he had been delegated doorman and if Tony was thinking about paying him for his services. That'd be nice, to have a little extra money. Though, since Tony was also in college, he probably wasn't rolling in the dough either. Maybe Tim didn't need the money after all.

He opened the door and was greeted by Breena, Jimmy, and their kids Delia and Sam. If he wasn't mistaken, Sam just started the eighth grade and Delia was in fifth. He couldn't be one-hundred percent sure, though, because he had been super busy and hadn't had time to dwell on Jimmy's family other than a phone call or two over the past few months.

"Hey Tim," Breena greeted giving him a quick hug. "How are you?"

"Fine, and yourself?"

"We're great," she stated as she and the kids walked into the apartment.

"That's great," Tim replied accepting a hug from Jimmy.

"How's school?" he asked when they broke apart.

"Great. I've been working on a computer program to…" he trailed off when Amira and Leyla stopped in the open doorway. He shared an awkward look with Amira before letting both girls into the apartment, accepting a hug from Leyla.

"It is so good to see you," she said stepping away from him.

"You, too," he stated and she nodded before following Breena into the kitchen to relieve themselves of the food they brought. Jimmy wandered after them while Delia and Sam moved towards the couch.

"How've you been?" McGee asked awkwardly, running a hand across the back of his neck.

"Fine," she replied softly, looking down at her feet. "I've been keeping busy at school."

"Me, too," he said nodding. They were quiet for a moment, but finally Tim said, "Hey, Ams, I…"

"Hello?" a familiar voice called, cutting Tim off, and he looked up to see his father standing in the doorway. "Is somebody going to help me with this?" Gibbs asked waving one cooler at Tim while gesturing to another at his feet.

"Sure Dad," Tim said moving forward just as Amira quickly headed towards the kitchen. He glanced back at her retreating figure then grabbed the cooler and followed his father deeper into Tony's apartment.

**NCIS**

Tony was surprised he managed to fit everyone in his tiny apartment. The original plan was to have Thanksgiving at his dad's, but he found out that he had to work tomorrow and just couldn't make the trip, so they opted to have it at his place, and since his roommate was out of town, he could easily have his brother and sister stay with him until they had to head back home.

He and Tim were setting the table while the others crowded by the television. Gibbs, Ziva, and Amira were watching the game, the latter two protesting loudly when their team lost the football. Tony snorted, shaking his head. He may be a fan of the game, but no one was as big of fan as his sister and friend.

He turned to Tim and said, "So, what's going on between you and Amira?"

"What?" Tim dropped the fork he had been holding. Stooping down to pick it up, Tony could have sworn his face was beat red. "I-I don't…" he cleared his throat, pushing himself to his feet. "N-nothing."

"Oh please, I saw the way you two keep avoiding each others' eyes. Something definitely happened. Want to share Tim-Tim?"

"N-no…" Tim shook his head, heading into the kitchen to get a new fork. When he returned, Tony grabbed his shoulders and ushered him out of the apartment. Once they were in the hall, with the door closed, Tony said, "Spill."

"We're not fifteen anymore, Tony. There is such a thing as privacy," Tim stated trying to walk around Tony.

"No, don't give me that crap," Tony replied, quickly moving to block his brother's path. "Come on, tell me. Let big bro Tony help you." He grinned at the glare Tim threw him. "Please."

"There was a party and I may…" Tim started, fiddling with the fork in his hand.

"Yes." Tony had spent the past few weeks studying his ass off for his classes, trying to keep facts straight, getting papers done with, what seemed like, impossible deadlines, and working at a job he hated. He needed this in his life.

"Amira and I…"

"Did you have…?"

"No!" Tim exclaimed shaking his head. "No," he repeated quieter. "We sorta, kinda made out."

"That's it? Dude, I sorta, kinda make out all the time. Actually there's no sorta, kinda about it. There was this one girl…"

"Tony, be serious for six seconds please," Tim snapped and Tony nodded, giving his brother his full, undivided attention. "Amira is my best friend; she was there for me when the school moved me up a grade. I can't do…" he gestured wildly with his hands. "…that with her. It could ruin our friendship."

"Only if you let it, little bro," Tony said after a moment's pause. "It's ultimately up to you whether this ruins your friendship or not." He then patted Tim on the shoulder and headed back inside. It wasn't his best advice, but it was pretty damn good if he said so himself.

The two brothers finished setting the table and then Tony called everyone to come and eat. As the group headed towards the table, Ziva said, "They aren't even trying. This is the worse they've played since…" she went on a tangent that lasted for almost five minutes. "This is why they need a new defense. The fact that theirs sucks major…" she trailed off, looking at Sam and Delia. "Pass the potatoes, Tony."

Grinning, Tony handed her the bowl. They started eating, the table full of the murmured voices of several different conversations. Abby was jumping from Tony to Tim to Ziva, asking them about their lives, wanting to know what she had been missing. Tony knew, if she had it her way, they would have never left Virginia let alone Gibbs' house.

"What's been up with you?" Tony asked after explaining to her about his roommate's labeling habit. It was something he had picked up about a year ago, putting his name on everything that was his. Tony liked to peel the labels off just to tick him off.

"Kumal and I have officially moved in together," she said giving the man in question a smile. "We unpacked the last box yesterday."

"It only took six months and some major begging on my part," Kumal stated returning her smile.

"That's great you guys," Ziva said grinning. "Now we won't trip over all those boxes when we come to visit."

"There weren't that many," Abby commented narrowing her eyes at Ziva.

"What about you, Amira?' Tony turned to the girl in question and her eyes widened.

"Me, nothing much," Amira said quickly, her eyes darting to Tim before resting on Tony again. "Just going to MIT; I see Tim occasionally. That's about it."

"Okay," Tony replied nodding. "That's great, how you see Tim _occasionally_." He looked Tim's way, flashing him a smile. Tim was glaring at him, shaking his head. Tony merely shrugged before turning to Ziva. "So, Ziva, how's what's his face?"

"Out of the picture," she responded eyeing her brothers and Amira suspiciously. "We had a difference of opinion."

"About what?" Tony and Tim said together. Neither one had liked the guy much to begin with. Now, Tony was wondering if he could pool his savings to buy a plane ticket. If this guy needed his head kicked in, he'd be happy to do it.

"Nothing important," Ziva replied giving him a 'don't think about it' look. "He's gone, and I actually feel a lot better about it. Like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"Are you sure?" Tim questioned softly, and Tony could tell he was ready to buy a plane ticket, too. Maybe if they put their money together, they could buy two bus tickets.

"It's fine," she said sharply, eyeing both of them. "Don't worry about it." They nodded and the rest of dinner was spent talking about several other things.

**NCIS**

"Bye guys," Abby said giving each a big, Abby-sized hug. "You need to come visit when you can. I don't think I can survive another two months without seeing you."

"Aunt Abby we go through this every year," Ziva pointed out smiling. "You'll see us at Christmas."

"I know, but I miss having you guys around," she said giving them each another quick hug. "Bye guys."

As she and Kumal left, ready to take the seven hour ride back home, Jimmy and his family said their good-byes and followed them down to the parking lot. That just left Amira, Leyla, and Gibbs. As Ziva and Leyla cleaned up and Gibbs went about checking Tony's apartment (something he did whenever he visited all three of his kids), Tim and Amira were left standing by the door, awkwardly trying to come up with something to say.

"I-I…" Tim cleared his throat, shuffling his feet.

"Yeah," Amira replied nodding. "It's just…"

"I don't…"

"We can't…"

"At least that's cleared up," Tony commented sardonically causing both Amira and Tim to jump in freight. They turned as one, eyes resting on Tony leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a relaxed grin on his face.

"How long have you been standing there?" Tim asked resting a hand over his rapidly beating heart.

"Long enough to know that telepathy may have just been discovered," he retorted and Tim rolled his eyes. "Look," Tony continued, pushing away from the wall, "this isn't that hard. Amira, do you like Tim?"

"He's my friend, I…" she started slowly.

"Do you like him?" Tony pressed, cutting her off

"I…yes, I do."

"And Tim, do you like Amira?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tim admitted, his face burning red.

"You guess or you know?"

"I _know,_ okay?"

"Then what's the big deal? So you made out at a party. You two are consenting adults, both like each other, just get together already. Jeez, you two are like the poster children for nerd love. Honestly, I never thought you two would take this long to get together."

"When did you become so good at relationship advice?" Amira asked curiously.

"What can I say? The werewolf girl may have been weird, but she did know what the hell she was talking about when it came to romance."

"I worry about you sometimes, Tone," Tim stated and received an eye roll from Tony. He gave him a small smile before turning his attention back to Amira. "Do you want to…?"

"Sure," she said and the two left, closing the door on Tony's smirking face.

**NCIS**

Gibbs was the last to leave Tony's apartment. He stood in the doorway, studying his children. They had grown up better than he could imagine. Tim was studying computers at MIT, Ziva was studying theater arts at Stanford, and Tony was studying psychology at NYU. They were doing what they wanted, and Gibbs only had to nudge them in the right direction.

"I miss you guys," he said softly.

"We miss you, too, Dad," Ziva replied as they hugged him. "We'll visit when we can."

"Yeah, I've got a weekend off in a few weeks. Maybe I'll drive down Friday, hang out until Sunday night. What do you say?" Tony stated taking a step back from Gibbs.

"I'd like that," Jethro said softly.

"I'll send you my current project when it's done," Tim promised as he moved to join Tony. Tim had taken up wood working, a hobby he had gotten pretty good at over the years, and every time he finished something he'd ship it to Gibbs (when he could afford it).

"I'm proud of you," Gibbs commented with a smile. "You three take care of yourselves."

"Love you, Dad," they said simultaneously.

"Love you, too."


	10. Testing Tim Part One

**I am so, so, so sorry this is so late. I started watching this new show and just started writing fics for it. And I've been trying to finish this book, my computer hasn't been in my possession, I'm running out of excuses. Again I am sorry.**

**There will be a part two to this chapter the next time around, once I do research on it, so just an FYI. I just wanted to get something up before January.**

**So, thanks for reading, thank you for all the reviews, and I do not own these characters.**

**Drop me a comment if you can**

**See ya!**

**P.S. This is returning to the kids' story line, as you will read. Just another quick FYI.**

**NCIS**

Gibbs was starting to wonder if the school had his number on speed dial. He, once again, found himself parking his car in the school's parking lot. This time, however, he wasn't being summoned by the nurse. It was the guidance counselor, the kids' teacher, and the principal who wanted to see them.

He could think of a few reasons why he was being summoned. Maybe Ziva remembered some stuff from her previous life and began hitting kids at random. Maybe Tony started pranking again and one got out of hand. Maybe Tim finally succeeded in making that robot and it was running around the school, destroying everything, and the school was expecting Gibbs to pay for all the damages.

He seriously doubted it was any of those reasons, and he wondered when in the hell he had developed an imagination. Maybe he had been hanging around Abby too much, or maybe being a dad for the past year and a half, to three, very imaginative children, was finally getting to him. Whatever the case, he just hoped his kids weren't in serious, serious trouble.

Lawrence was leaning against the front desk, filling out paperwork, but looked up when Gibbs stepped into the office. "Mr. Gibbs," the he greeted with a smile. "What brings you back to this neck of the woods?"

"Not really sure," Jethro replied softly. "I'm hoping my kids haven't started anything on fire or glued someone's fingers to their desk."

"Are they capable of that?" Lawrence asked, his eyebrows furrowed and a skeptical look on his face. He only knew them as the four little kids he occasionally aided when hurt. He didn't know them as the three adults who acted more like children than they did now.

"Maybe," Gibbs replied evasively just as the principal's door opened. She beckoned for Gibbs to come inside her office, and he said good-bye to Lawrence before following her inside.

The guidance counselor and the kids' teacher was already standing behind the desk, waiting for Gibbs, and Jethro studied each one before taking a seat in the chair the principal pointed to. He waited until she was sitting before saying, "What's this about?"

"Mr. Gibbs, I'm Ellie Harris, the guidance counselor for the grade school," a blonde woman said, stepping forward, holding her hand out.

Gibbs shook it briefly before returning his gaze to the principal. "Is this about Tony or Ziva?"

"No," the principal, Ms. Gard according to her nametag, said softly.

_Tim then,_ Gibbs thought nodding. "Did Tim take something apart? Break something on accident? He likes to see how things work, and I told him not to…"

"What?" the kids' teacher, Mrs. Mills, gave Gibbs a confused look.

"I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Tim's a very smart kid, and he's always looking for something new to learn. Last week I found him dismantling my toaster, so I just wanted to be sure he didn't…"

"That's why we called you here, Mr. Gibbs," Harris said quickly.

"It's about how smart Tim is," Mills stated with a smile. "I've noticed, and it seems you have too, that he's gifted."

"All three of my kids are gifted," Gibbs responded, deadpanned. He knew how smart Tim was, but Tony and Ziva were smart, too. They might not be scary smart like his youngest, but they were logical in their own ways. Gibbs didn't know many six-year-olds who knew so much about weapons (he owed it all to Tony's obsession to the Ninja Turtles and the fact that Abby couldn't not answer one of the kids' questions). He was also pretty sure he didn't know of a six year old that conned an unsuspecting lab assistant to help her build a pro/con list about letting her have a sleep over with every one of her friends.

"I'm not saying they aren't, Mr. Gibbs. It's just Tim is smart," Mills' eyes widened slightly, "scary smart. I gave him some second grade math the other day, and he managed to answer ninety percent of the questions correctly. He was the first in my class to count to five hundred, he knows his alphabet backwards and forwards, he's read every, single book in my mini library."

"What Mrs. Mills is saying is we were wondering if we could test Tim's IQ?" Harris suggested excitedly, leaning forward. "A boy that smart could go places. He could graduate at twelve, be done with college by sixteen, and maybe have a PHD by twenty."

Gibbs gave the woman a sharp look and she seemed to deflate. She leaned away from him and said, "It's just something to think about."

"What Ms. Harris is trying to say," Mills said nervously, stepping forward a few steps, "is that we want to see how Tim does if we move him up a grade. But before we do that, we want to be sure he's going to be able to handle the workload. A few math problems and some reading won't tell us enough, but I have enough confidence in Tim that I know he'll be able to handle it."

"It won't take effect until next year," Gard stated her gray eyes meeting Gibbs'. She was the only one who didn't flinch at his glare, and kind of reminded him of Borin. "That is, if you consent to it."

"Look, Mr. Gibbs," Harris said quickly, sticking to her spot behind Gard, "I know you don't want to subject Tim to all these tests and questions, but not allowing us to at least test his IQ, you could be holding him back from his true potential."

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, studying the guidance counselor. He wasn't sure whether to headslap her or point a gun at her. He knew what Tim's potential was, had even exploited it a few times when he was an adult. He didn't need a test to tell him how smart his son was, nor did he need Tim to graduate high school at twelve.

But, he could tell kindergarten had been boring for Tim. He didn't outright tell Gibbs he was bored, but the older man could tell just by the way he described each one of his days. Plus, the fact that he could understand eighty percent of the words in the Harry Potter novels was a big clue. Maybe having his IQ tested, and just his IQ, wasn't such a bad thing.

"If I agree to this," Gibbs finally said, making sure each woman was looking at him, "I will only allow you to move him up one grade. I don't want him too far away from his brother and sister or the friends he's managed to make. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear, Mr. Gibbs," Harris replied trying to hide a grin. "We can set up a day to have Tim tested," she continued, picking a folder up off the desk. As she began explaining what was going to happen, Gibbs really hoped he didn't make the wrong decision.


	11. Mall Fights

**This is a very short Christmas themed chapter. I was supposed to have this up _before_ the 25, but I've just been SUPER busy working on other things and trying to recover from the holidays.** **Anyway, consider this a late Christmas present to those who celebrate and a Sunday gift for those who don't.**

**So, thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favs last chapter, thanks for reading, and I will see you in the next chapter (which will either be Testing Tim Pt. 2 or a New Year's themed chapter). **

**See ya!**

**P.S. Ziva is 9 and Tony and Tim are 8**

* * *

The mall was packed with people, from older couples wandering around to younger couples doing some last minute Christmas shopping. It was loud, crowded, and Jimmy wanted nothing more than to go home, but Abby had insisted on taking the kids to see Santa. Gibbs had to work, so Abby had talked Breena into 'volunteering' Jimmy's help. It was the first time Jimmy really wished they got a call. Anything had to be better than a group of screaming kids.

"Come on Jimmy!" Ziva exclaimed, grabbing his hand. She then proceeded to drag him through the crowd. Jimmy was vividly aware of Abby and the boys following close behind, Tony talking a mile a minute as he explained to Abby what he wanted for Christmas.

"…and the new Spider-Man toy, and the Ninja Turtle sword, and a football, and…"

"I want a pair of handcuffs," Tim commented absentmindedly.

"What?" Jimmy very nearly stopped, Ziva the only thing keeping him walking. Why would an eight-year-old want a pair of handcuffs?

"I was watching a magic person…"

"Magician," Abby corrected in a matter of fact voice.

"Magician," Tim repeated and nodded. "I was watching a magician, and he did a trick with a pair of handcuffs. I want to try and figure out how he did it. It was super cool."

"It was lame," Tony stated around a yawn.

"You're just mad because you don't know how to do it," Tim argued glancing at his brother.

"Neither do you," Tony retorted smirking. Tim glared, but otherwise didn't say anything else.

They continued through the mall, getting jostled by the crowd, and Jimmy was seconds away from suggesting they turn around and come back later, when they ran, smack-dab, into the line.

"Why is there so many people?" Tony grumbled from behind Jimmy.

"Because several other children want to see Santa, too, Tony," Abby explained softly. Tony muttered something under his breath, something Jimmy didn't quite hear, but made Tim exclaim, "Tony, Dad said not to use those words!"

"What did he say?" Ziva asked curiously, swinging hers and Jimmy's hands back and forth.

"I didn't _say_ anything," Tony retorted standing on tip-toe, trying to see over the crowd. Palmer knew he was wasting his time; the poor kid was only four feet-three inches.

"He _said_ that waiting was annoying as… OW!" Tim cried, glaring at Tony. "Why did you do that?"

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You just punched me in the arm," Tim snapped pulling himself up to his full four feet.

"I did not."

"_Yes_ you did."

"Boys," Abby called, trying to get their attention, but neither one paid her any attention.

"You are such a liar," Tim argued.

"If I did punch you then what are you gonna do about it?" Tony asked crossing his arms, a triumphant smile on his face.

Jimmy was used to _this_ Tim fighting his battles with words, maybe backing down before he anything really physical could happen, but the older man was _not_ used to the sandy haired boy letting out an angry cry and tackling his brother to the floor.

"Stop it," Ziva exclaimed as the two boys starting hitting each other. "Stop it!" she tried again before jumping on top of the two boys, hitting both of them. "You are _so_ stupid!" she shouted as Palmer pulled her of her brothers. He handed the dark haired girl to Abby, bent down, and yanked Tim off of Tony.

"I think we should go," he suggested trying to keep a hold of a struggling Tim, ignoring the stares they were getting from the mall patrons.

"I think you're right," Abby replied and setting Ziva down. Keeping both Tony and Ziva at arm's length from each other, ignoring their verbal jabs at each other, she ushered the two kids out of the building. Jimmy followed her, still keeping a firm grip on the weakly struggling Tim. He _knew_ going to the mall was a bad idea.


	12. New Year's Surprises

**First, Testing Tim Pt. 2 is coming in the next chapter. I promise.**

**Second, this is set ten years into the future. So, technically, in their time, The Avengers has been out for a decade (actually over a decade).**

**Third, thanks so much for the reviews, alerts, and favs last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

**Fourth, Ziva is sixteen in this story and the boys are fifteen.**

**And fifth, I own nothing, thanks for reading, and drop a comment if you can.**

**SEE YA!**

* * *

Ziva had heard from Paula Auburn who heard from Dallas Gray who heard from Billie Morgan that Francesca Klark was having a New Year's Eve party. She knew she wasn't going to be invited, Francesca _never_ invited sophomores to her parties, but she wanted so badly to go despite making a _huge_ deal about _not_ wanting to go; apparently Francesca's parties were unforgettable.

It wouldn't have been so bad if she knew her brothers weren't going, but she had heard that Amira was going, and Ziva knew her friend was, no doubt, going to drag Tim to it, despite the fact that he _hated_ parties. She also knew Tony would find a way to gatecrash it, even if he had to hook up with one of those desperate juniors that would make out with anyone within a three mile radius. She would be the _only_ Gibbs not at that party; with the exception of their father.

A part of her knew, without a doubt, had their father been in town none of them would be going, but he had gone to help out Grandpa Gibbs for a few days, leaving them in the care of Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy. And since the three adults only checked in first thing in the morning and a few hours before they went to bed, Ziva knew her brothers could catch the party without getting too much flack and easily be home before any of the adults realized they weren't home.

The night of the party, Ziva lounged on the couch in her PJs, watching some reality TV show, several bottle of nail polish scattered across the surface of the coffee table. She figured she could just spend the night painting her toenails, watching crappy TV, eating junk food, and otherwise pretending she was not missing the party of the century.

"We don't _have_ to go," Tim said standing by the stairs, waiting for Tony to hurry up. "I'd be happy sitting here with you. I mean…"

"Don't worry about me, Tim," Ziva responded snatching a bottle of pink polish off the table. She shook it. "I didn't want to go to the party anyway."

"Neither do I," Tim muttered just as Tony thudded down the stairs, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a nice, black dress shirt, carrying a pair of shoes. His hair had been styled perfectly, making him look like he had just gotten out of bed.

"Nonsense, Tim-Tim, you absolutely want to go," he said moving towards the easy chair. He sat down and began pulling his shoes onto his feet. "As for you," he turned to Ziva, "you could easily come with me. I'm sure we can find you some band geek that was _just_ cool enough to get invited."

"Tony, I've told you several times. I do not want to go," Ziva responded carefully painting her right middle toe. "You two have fun, don't get too drunk (otherwise Dad'll kill you), and be home before morning."

"Otherwise Dad'll kill everyone," Tony and Tim said together. They shared a quick look, smirking, and then Tony returned to tying his shoes. He then stood up, looked at Tim, and said, "There is no way you are wearing that."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Tim asked looking down at his jeans and blue hoodie. Ziva saw Tony's point immediately. Usually she loved her little brother's style, it was cute in a geeky sort of way, but there was no way he was going to blend into an upperclassmen party wearing a shirt that said 'Trekkie Forever.'

Tony sighed, taking his glasses off to pinch the bridge of his nose (he had begged and pleaded their father to let him get contacts but to no avail. Their father had told him he had to wait until he was eighteen, and Tony had been ticking off the days since then. He also reminded them every single day: one year and six and a half months). He shook his head and said, "Let's go, Tim-Tim."

"Where?"

"Back to our room. Amira can't be seen with… _that_," Tony replied and dragged Tim up the stairs, ignoring his protests. Ziva chuckled, shaking her head, but her smile wilted as she returned to painting her toenails. Everyone was going to be having a good time, except her… and every, other underclassmen who hadn't been invited. But she didn't _want _to be like every, other underclassmen, she wanted to go the Francesca's party. She was so pathetic.

**NCIS**

After changing her mind six or seven times, Ziva finally settled on electric blue for her toes. It had been something she picked out with Abby when they went to the mall. She hadn't wanted to get the color, but Abby said it went with the sweater she had been wearing at the time. The same sweater Tony spilled paint on during their shared art class.

Once her nails were painted, she made a huge bowl of hers and Jimmy's special trail mix. It had been something they made when she was eleven, entirely by accident, while attempting to make some type of dessert for her class's Christmas party. It had been good, though, and the two ended up making it for Christmas every year since then.

She put in one of Tony's movies, something he had seen probably seventeen times, and took a seat on the couch. She tried to get into the film, attempting to get her mind off her brothers and best friend having fun without her, but it was one of those action flicks that Tony gushed over, and those just weren't her favorite type of movie.

About mid-way through the movie, she ran out of trail mix. She was debating whether or not to make more when the door opened. She froze for a moment, her hand tightening around the porcelain bowl sitting on her lap. If she had to, she'd throw the bowl at whoever came around the corner. With luck, it'd surprise them, giving her time to rush past them and head upstairs to her phone.

With a plan in mind, she stood up, creeping towards the doorway, readying her arm to throw it. She played three years of softball, she had an arm on her, she'd hurt whoever…

The bowl flew from her hand, just as Tony walked around the corner, hitting her brother in the chest. He reeled back, hands going to his chest, the breath clearly knocked out of him. "Ow! W-what the hell, Z?"

"You scared the crap out of me," she snapped, hitting his arm.

"Yeah, well, you hit me with a fricking bowl," Tony retorted glaring at her.

"She hit you with what?" Tim asked as he and Amira walked into the house.

"A bowl. What, are you a ninja now? Are you capable of killing people with a bowl?" Tony gave her a curious look, a smirk crossing his face.

"What are you doing home so early?" Ziva asked, opting to ignore her brother's questions. She stooped down, retrieved the bowl, and carried it to the kitchen. "You were barely gone an hour," she called over her shoulder, putting the bowl in the sink.

"It was a lame party," Tony replied and Ziva could hear him plop down in the easy chair. "The same people we see every single day were there except they were getting drunk."

"Oh," Ziva stated moving back into the living room. She knew he was lying, it was written all over his face, but before she could demand the truth Amira said, "Believe us, Z, the party wasn't as fun as it could have been."

"And why's that?" she asked curiously, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Amira gave Ziva an expectant look.

"You weren't there," Tim replied when Ziva shook her head. Tony smirked, but he still nodded in agreement.

"You three came home because I wasn't there," Ziva said slowly, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, yeah," they responded as a group.

"That's just…" It was sweet, the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her (with the exception of her father) in a long time, and there weren't words to tell them just how grateful she was that they returned for her. So, she just said, "Thanks."

"Oh, Z, don't get all sappy on us," Tony stated grinning, "we wouldn't want _the cycle _to start too early."

"You are not as funny as you think," Ziva stated in a matter-of-face voice, but she still moved across the room, sitting down on the couch, in between Amira and Tim.

"I am hilarious," Tony retorted smirking. Ziva merely threw a pillow at his head, and then grabbed the remote to unpause her movie. "You are _not_ watching this!" Tony exclaimed scooting to the edge of his seat, an excited look crossing his face.

"It was in the DVD player," Ziva lied glaring his way.

"_Sure _it was," he responded, his smirk widening.

"I've never liked this movie," Amira said gesturing to the TV.

"What century were you _born_ in?" Tony protested giving her a look of exasperation. "This is a _classic."_

"It's _The Avengers_, Tony. It came out a decade ago. It's not even _close_ to being a classic," Tim pointed out, looking over at his brother.

"Take that back, heathen," Tony exclaimed pointing at his brother.

"No," Tim replied shaking his head.

"Take it back," Tony repeated.

"I won't."

As the two guys continued to argue, their voices drowning out the movie, Ziva shared a look with Amira and smiled. This was, by far, one of the best New Year's Eves she'd ever had.


	13. Testing Tim Part Two

**Oh, hello. I see the angry faces and I am assuming you are going to kill me. Please don't, I come bearing a new chapter.**

**Yes, I am aware how late this is, and I apologize. I started watching a new show, got so wrapped up in writing for that, and lost track of the time. But I am back. This has two OCs in it, one from Testing Tim Part One (who I had to look up) and another that may become important. It really depends on how much I like him.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

**Thanks for reading, leave me a comment if you can, and I still don't own anyone _not_ an OC.**

**See ya!**

* * *

According to Harris, Tim's test scores dropped him into the 'highly gifted' range. What that meant, Gibbs wasn't exactly sure, but from what he gathered Tim could, in fact, graduate high school at a young age, get into a good college, and become, as Abby put it, like Doogie Howser. Gibbs wasn't exactly sure who Doogie Howser was, but he didn't want his son to graduate college at twelve and reminded Harris of the deal they made. She reluctantly agreed, and made arrangements to have Tim moved up a grade the following year. Until then, he had to work with a tutor, hired by the school for special cases like Tim's.

"We usually only get one or two gifted children a year," Harris said as she opened the tutor's office door, "but never have their scores been as high as Tim's."

"At least not in a few years," the tutor said grinning broadly, standing from behind his mahogany desk. "I'm Bradley Jones."

"Jethro Gibbs," Gibbs introduced shaking his hand.

"It's very nice to meet you," Bradley said taking his hand back, gesturing for the two to sit in the leather chairs on one side of his desk. As the threesome sat down, he asked "Were you aware of how smart your son is?"

"All my kids are smart," Gibbs reminded the younger man. He wasn't signally one out just because his test scores impressed a bunch of teachers.

"Yes," Harris said quickly, nodding her head, "they are very smart." She turned to Bradley. "Tim's siblings are Ziva and Tony Gibbs."

"Ah," the younger guy said, nodding. Gibbs knew he was just putting on a show; the man had no idea who his other children were, and he was just a little irritated about that little tid-bit. _Not_ that he didn't know them, but that he was acting like he did; it was completely unnecessary, especially when he could see right through the act.

"We want Tim to start coming to Bradley on Monday," Harris said quickly, probably sensing the tension rolling off of Jethro. "Just for an hour a day. If that is okay with you."

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, thinking over his two choices. He could tell them no, keep Tim with his siblings, and pretty much 'stunt his learning growth' (as Harris put it while Tim was getting tested), or he could agree and hope it didn't hurt Tim in the long run. Of course, it wouldn't hurt just to try it for a few days, see what happened, and if Tim asked to stop seeing Bradley, Gibbs could ask to have him be placed back into his classroom during that hour.

So, he sighed and nodded, "Alright. Let's see what happens."

"Okay," Harris said and Gibbs had a feeling she'd be clapping her hands had he not been there. "We'll just need you to fill out some paperwork."

**NCIS**

After that meeting, Tim began going to Bradley Jones every single school day, between nine and ten. At first, Gibbs knew the kid was apprehensive. He usually did pretty good around strangers, just as long as Tony and Ziva were with him, but since Bradley only wanted to work with Tim, and a little girl named Bridgette, but Gibbs never met her, Tim was on his own.

But he eventually got used to seeing Bradley, and even started talking about the man during dinner. He loved the challenges Bradley gave him; the puzzles, the books, the word problems. It was like Christmas had come early for the little boy, and Gibbs had to admit it was the right decision for his son.

Though, sometimes Gibbs could tell Tony and Ziva missed seeing their brother all day. They had asked, a few times, where Tim went during the day, and Gibbs had tried explaining it. But how did he tell two six-year-olds that their brother was too smart for kindergarten? So, he merely said that Tim went to see a tutor every day. Tony seemed to accept the answer and continued playing, but Ziva wouldn't let it go.

"Why?" she asked as Gibbs made dinner.

"Because Tim is smart," Gibbs replied stirring his sauce.

"_I'm_ smart, too," Ziva said softly. "And so is Tony. Why don't we get to see the tutor, too?"

"Yes, you guys are very smart," he stated honestly, glancing down at her, "but sometimes some people are smarter than others."

"So, Tim is smarter than Tony and me?" Ziva's face shined with curiosity, and Gibbs knew he couldn't lie to her; he couldn't lie to any of his kids. But he couldn't exactly tell her the truth either. This was harder to explain than he thought it'd be, but he was saved the trouble when Abby opened his door.

"I brought ice cream," she called and Ziva perked up at those words, running away from Jethro, seemingly forgetting her question. In retrospect, he probably should have thought up an answer earlier, he knew how close his kids were, and he really didn't have an excuse as to why he didn't in the first place.

With a sigh, Gibbs made a mental note to figure out a better way to explain it to her later as he returned to his sauce.


	14. Gas Talks and Abby Photos

**Just a cute, little thing for Valentine's Day (or, as it is known to me, Singles' Awareness Day). I figured I'd do Tony's POV because I haven't written for him in a while. He's about sixteen in this chapter.**

**Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favs last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

**So, enjoy, drop me a comment if you can, and I do not own what is not mine.**

**See ya!**

* * *

Abby did nothing but gush about it since Ziva told her. Tony really wished his sister wouldn't have said anything, but it seemed whenever Ziva was around Abby she became the gossipiest girly girl on the planet, and told secrets that shouldn't be told (i.e. Tim accidentally grabbing Gerogie Mathison's breast when he tried to shake her hand, Tony's first kiss… stuff like that).

Now, Abby was snapping photos as Tony stood in the foyer, waiting for his dad to finally relinquish the keys. This would be his first, actual, no parent date with a girl he happened to like, and he didn't need a flash in his face or his father giving him some speech about putting gas in the tank. Hell, he didn't even give Tim the 'gas speech.' Of course, that could be because Tim was the responsible one and always remembered to put gas in the tank. The only plus side, both Tim and Ziva had to sit through Abby's photos, so he wasn't as disgruntled as he could be.

"Alright, you can have the keys," his dad finally said, handing the keys over. Tony tried to snatch them out of his father's hand, but the older man held onto them. "Be back by curfew."

"Dad, I know," Tony replied trying very hard _not_ to roll his eyes.

"Okay." Finally, finally his father let the keys go, and it took all of Tony's control not to whoop with joy. "See you later."

"Oh, one more picture," Abby insisted.

"Abs."

"But, Gibbs…" The man in question gave her a look and she sighed and said, "Fine." She put her camera back in her bag, gave Tony a big hug, and said, "Have fun tonight."

"Thanks, Abs," Tony responded and headed outside. If he was going to get that reaction every time he had a date, he might just swear off girls until he moved out.


	15. Saying Good-Bye

During the third week of August, Gibbs took his kids to the airport. He would be saying good-bye to Ziva and Tim now and Tony would be heading off to New York later that day. He was proud of the accomplishments they had made, proud of the people they had become, and it was times like these that he didn't regret the choices he made for them.

Ziva hugged him first, standing outside her gate. She had an earlier flight than Tim, had to say her good-byes quickly. She had tears in her eyes when she hugged her brothers, barely held them at bay when Abby gave her a quick hug, but unleashed them when she wrapped her arms around Gibbs.

"I'll see you at Christmas, _Abba_," she said softly. Gibbs hadn't been called that in a while, and he hugged her back, giving her hair a kiss. As they broke the hug, she wiped her eyes with her hand, sniffing. "I love you guys."

"Bye, Z," the boys said, waving. She waved back, gave them one final hug, and headed towards the terminal. They waited until she was gone before heading further into the airport, looking for Tim's gate.

It was another hour or so before they were calling for Tim's flight. He and Tony punched each other's arms before hugging, saying good-bye, promising to write. All three kids had already done this the night before, and Tim had been pretty good about it since last year when he started college.

"Bye Abs," Tim said moving onto the Goth. She hugged him tightly, whispering good-bye in his ear, and when they broke the hug the younger guy turned to Gibbs.

"I'll send you my next project in a few weeks," he informed the older man, giving him a hug.

"You always do," Gibbs replied softly, tightening his hold on his youngest son. "Take care of yourself."

"You too, Dad," Tim said and pulled away. "See you guys at Christmas. Love ya." He then headed towards the terminal, waved one final time, and disappeared into a crowd of people. Gibbs turned to Tony, who was watching the gate with furrowed eyebrows, wondering what was going through his head.

"I suppose I should start packing," Tony stated after a beat, turning to face Gibbs and Abby.

"You haven't started packing, yet?" Abby asked exasperated.

"I _stated_ to, but I got sidetracked," Tony defended himself, running a hand through his hair.

"Let's go," Gibbs said with a sigh, leading the two out of the airport.

**NCIS**

After Tony had said his good-byes, getting into a yellow Camaro and driving off, Gibbs headed back into his house. It was, for the first time in almost eighteen years, absolutely silent, and he missed the noise.

He missed three four-year-olds trying to be quiet, arguing over who was going to wake him up. He missed a couple of eight-year-olds trying to hide the broken pieces of a lamp in the closet, hoping Gibbs didn't find their mess. He missed crayons scattered across the floor, dolls left lying on the couch, jackets sitting in crumpled heaps on the floor, barely making it to the coat closet. He even missed three sixteen-year-olds arguing over the bathroom. He had gotten used to the noise, become accustomed to it, and hadn't thought about what life would be like when it was gone.

He walked over to his fireplace, picking up a framed photo from the mantle. It was in a black and red frame, faded with age, depicting three kids, standing in his backyard. Tim was in the middle, Tony hanging off his shoulder while Ziva had her arms around him, giving him a hug.

They were his kids, his team, his family, he loved them with everything he had, and he would continue to for as long as he possibly could. That was a promise he could definitely keep.

**The End... maybe. I don't know.**

* * *

**This is it. Sorry guys, I just needed to get something off my plate, but I might put up new chapters if they come to me.**

**So, thanks for reading, reviewing, alerting, and sticking to this story until the end. You guys are amazing.**

**So, leave me a commenting if you can, sorry again for ending it so soon, and see ya in the next story..**

**Still don't own 'em...**


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